F1
by Saun
Summary: Haruka fulfills her dream.
1. Default Chapter

F1 Part One Revised by Saun Rated: PG-13 Haruka and Michiru Disclaimer: Sailor Moon & Company, Ferrari, Michael Schumacher,  
Rubens Barichello, BMW, McLaren Mercedes, Bernie Ecclestone,  
Jean Todt, Ross Brawn, Formula One Magazine and all other persons and institutions associated with the FIA do not belong to me. I just borrowed them for a bit. ¬.¬ Please don't sue me.  
Ok this is a bit different from things I have done before.  
It's finished, but it will be coming out in pieces. Enjoy.  
I appreciate all feedback.  
The name Yamura is used in homage to the Japanese team owner/  
mechanic from the great Formula One movie "Grand Prix."  
  
It was early morning. Outside the sun was just beginning to bathe the world in a soft, pink light. Haruka felt movement on the other side of the bed; Michiru must already be awake. The blonde knew that it was time to get up, but she burrowed deeper into her pillow. She had allowed herself to get a little bit lazy lately. Unfortunately, it really was time for her morning run. With a resigned sigh she sat up,  
stretching, and noticed the figure now standing at the window.  
  
"Michiru?" she asked softly. Michiru turned and gave Haruka a bright smile.  
  
"The sea is calm."  
  
Haruka smiled back, slid out of bed, and walked to the closet.  
  
"That's good to know," she teased.  
  
Michiru reached for her white silk robe and slid it over the matching gown she wore.  
  
"No...well, yes... Haruka...it's a deep calm."  
  
Something in her voice made Haruka pause in the act of pulling on her shorts. Michiru had always been the more intuitive one. As the blonde focused inward, she slowly became aware of a deep sense of peace. When she opened her eyes, they locked with the shining blue ones across the room. No words passed between them;none were needed.  
  
A short time later Haruka was running along the streets,  
deep in thought. So they had a reprieve in their time as senshi.  
How long would that last? she had never expected such a thing and was afraid to trust it fully. She needed to talk to Setsuna.  
The guardian of time would be the only one to know if they were actually going to be given a time of peace. She'd seek out her housemate as soon as she returned home.  
  
"What if you're wrong?" Haruka countered.  
  
Setsuna took another sip of tea and the wiped at the resulting lipstick smudge with her thumb.  
  
"We've had breaks from our duty before, Haruka." the garnet eyed woman countered patiently.  
  
"I know." The blonde ran her hand through her still slightly sweaty hair. She remembered the one after their battle with Pharaoh 90. That had been a crucial time which she and Michiru had made the most of, giving their relationship time to strengthen and grow.  
  
Taking pity on her friend, Setsuna reached over and touched Haruka's arm.  
  
"I, for one, am going to try to sell some of my designs to a fashion company. Michiru will probably begin that tour she's been delaying. I would imagine that you are tired of racing the occasional stock car and motorcycle. Make the most of this gift,  
Haruka. Who knows if it will happen again." On that thought,  
Setsuna checked her watch and stood, straightening her jacket.  
  
"I have to go to work. I will see you later."  
  
Haruka nodded her thanks and absently said good bye. Life for the senshi had been almost frighteningly normal lately. Mamoru was finishing his doctoral studies. The Inners were finishing high school. Hotaru was hard at work on her school life, going to cram school and studying late into the night.  
  
Michiru came from the back of the house with a basket full of folded clothes and immediately noticed her partner's distress. Haruka was staring into her tea, deep in thought. Her mate set the clothes down and walked into the dining room. She eased up behind Haruka and wrapped her arms around her lover's back, holding her close and leaning her chin on Haruka's shoulder.  
They stayed that way for a moment until Michiru broke the silence.  
  
"I think you should go see him," the violinist whispered in her lover's ear.  
  
A soft smile came reluctantly to Haruka's lips.  
  
"Hai."  
  
Haruka eased off the gas pedal as she turned down the familiar street. It had been years since she'd been here and she was nervous. What if he said no? After all, she hadn't called or visited for... a while now. She paused for a moment staring at the garage where she had spent so much of her youth.  
Yamura's Auto Shop was still the same. The paint was chipping a bit and that one stubborn letter in the neon sign still refused to light, but for the most part the building was unchanged. She shook her head and drew a a deep breath. Well, it was now or never.  
  
As she walked into the garage, Yamura looked up from where he knelt tightening a stubborn bolt. He recognized her immediately.  
The older man smiled warmly at the girl he hadn't seen for four years and set down his wrench. It was clear that Tenoh Haruka was no longer a child. She had matured over the years and he felt a sense of pride at the woman she'd become. A few things worried him though, like the stern lines at the sides of her mouth and the great weight he could read in her eyes even as she smiled shyly at him.  
  
"Sensei," Haruka bowed and began speaking respectfully as Yamura rose, wiping his hands on an oilcloth. "I believe I am ready and I would be honored if you would consider ..."  
  
"Hai," he interrupted her request.  
  
Yamura paused, gazing at the determined young woman. She had been like a daughter to him, so much like his own son. Her entrance into his life was a pleasant reminder that there was more good in the world than bad, if only you allowed yourself to notice. He smiled warmly into her questioning teal eyes and again nodded his acceptance. Haruka's answering smile melted the last several years from her appearance.  
  
Yamura remembered the many offers made to him to come out of retirement since he had announced it over thirty years ago. He had politely declined each one. The large car corporations, like Ford,  
didn't really want him. They just wanted a design genius who happened to be him. Haruka-chan though, she wanted him, needed her sensei's guidance and he was going to give her that and more.  
He had been planning for this day since he saw her expression after winning her first race. He called upon a great many people to return favors owed. This day had been delayed long enough.  
  
A week later, Haruka found herself at a lunch meeting with Joe Garvey, an oil millionaire from Texas. The man had wanted to buy into F1 sports for a long time. He had been working on a deal with Toyota to start a team, but that had fallen through recently.  
When he had heard that Yamura was thinking of coming out of retirement, he jumped on the chance to retain one of the most brilliant minds in racing -ever. He took the first available flight from Dallas.  
  
Haruka looked the man over as they shook hands at the café. Garvey was a big man who had let his wealth go straight to his gut. The man's bulbous nose was balanced over a stubborn jaw.  
A cigar was clamped firmly in his yellowed teeth. When he took off his Stetson, she also saw that his gray hair was thinning on top.  
  
"Well, I was glad to get your call, Yamura. I can't say that I wasn't pleased that you thought of me," the man boomed in a strong voice. "Your expertise may be just the thing to get Toyota's ass in gear and fill that empty slot on the roster! There can only be twelve teams on the grid and there are already eleven!"  
  
Yamura quietly stirred his tea, patiently waiting for the right moment.  
  
"Toyota already has a chassis built and their research and design team is making some small modifications in designing a body. Those guys have put together almost the entire team for us..."  
  
"No. We will form a new team," Yamura commanded. Garvey chewed thoughtfully at the end of his cigar.  
  
"What about sponsors? We would need a shitload of money and Toyota is serious bucks."  
  
"I want to use the best engine. A Ferrari." Yamura set his teacup down firmly.  
  
Garvey inclined his head. "What makes you think they will supply you with engines? They already build them for two other teams."  
  
"I called in favor. They will do this thing for us." Yamura regarded Garvey.  
  
The beefy man nodded. "All right we still need capital.  
Sponsors."  
  
"This is where you will come in." Yamura was confident. He knew Garvey was a wealthy man and had business contacts all over the world. The Large texan was silent for a moment.  
  
"I've heard a rumor that Sony might be looking for a slot in the F1 circuit to promote their gaming system. They definately have bucks to burn. I think Shell is looking to branch out. They like being linked with a world champion, but they want to become synonymous with F1 in general. Their association with Marlboro is costing them in public relations, especially with all of the bad publicity big tobacco's been getting lately."  
  
"This sounds good. Now about drivers." The small Japanese man leaned forward slightly. Garvey leaned in too.  
  
"You have someone in mind?"  
  
"Hai, I do," Yamura lowered his voice.  
  
"Who?" Garvey was whispering now also.  
  
Yamura abruptly sat back with a big grin on his face, mischief twinkling in his dark eyes.  
  
"Tenoh Haruka!" he finished. Garvey looked intrigued.  
  
"That kid who was eating up the Jr. circuit a few years back?" he confirmed slowly.  
  
"Hai," Yamura nodded proudly.  
  
"You'll never get him." Garvey sat back and made a dismissive gesture with a beefy hand. "He's retired."  
  
"I'm coming out of retirement," Haruka said quietly.  
  
The big man across the table suddenly registered the blonde and stared with new interest, sizing her up. "It's no easy life, son."  
  
Haruka brought her eyes up to meet his gaze. "I can win." For a moment she allowed the fierce passion usually kept locked away to burn brightly in her eyes.  
  
Garvey was quiet for a moment, then his hand moved, side swiping his teacup.  
  
With reactions twice that of a normal individual Haruka's hand shot out and caught it before it fell. She narrowed her eyes in acknowledgment of the test. The look in the oil man's eyes was at once triumphant and speculative.  
  
"Yes, I believe you can."  
  
Barely a month later Haruka found herself listening to the now familiar creaking and rattling of the racecar as she cruised at just over 160 mph. This was a mock up of the car she would actually be using in races. She secretly wondered if Yamura had been anticipating her return. He had managed to assemble over 200 people in various odd jobs in less than six months. It was unheard of... unless someone had been planning ahead. Construction was already underway for the giant wind tunnel that would be necessary for more accurate testing. In the meantime they were borrowing a facility from a pro football team. Inside they could recreate all kinds of weather patterns as well as strong winds. So far they had been able to use it almost non-stop.  
  
The blonde already had a personal trainer and nutrition expert, who was helping her get back into top shape. For now her work out routine focused mostly on her neck which was subjected to considerable g-forces, especially when she was braking the car.  
She also had to work on her arms and torso because steering under those conditions could put considerable strain on her upper body.  
In the end it would be the most fit driver in the most dependable car that would walk away with the title.  
  
Haruka could already tell a change in her driving ability. She found that she had matured over the years she'd been away. Her lover had helped to ground her as she found a joy in family life. Earlier she would have slammed her foot to the floor and forced the maximum rpms. If the car held up... great, if it didn't... Haruka would not be happy.  
However, now she had learned the value of patience. She was milking the maximum performance from the car. She had always assumed that becoming a senshi had interrupted her drive straight to the top, but she was no longer so sure.  
She'd had raw talent, but there was a lot she had learned since then. She was certainly performing better now than ever. Inside she still had the confidence in her ability and the personal strength she'd always had, but for once there were no more shadows. No more fear of the unknown or the hungry clawing in her soul that had made her feel incomplete. Only by being enslaved by her destiny had she become really free to become the best racer she could be.  
Everyone always talked about the intense physical and mental pressure F1 racers were under; Haruka wondered briefly what they would think if they knew this was how she was spending her vacation.  
  
When Haruka dragged herself home from the track she was exhausted. Her hips were bruised from the constant jostling and her neck was like a limp dishrag, but she'd never felt happier.  
She was on the way to fulfilling a life long dream. It was an exhilarating feeling. Only three years earlier she had been prepared to abandon it completely.  
  
She arrived home to a dark house. Haruka knew Michiru had left that morning for a concert in London and wouldn't return for several days. There was a note on the table from Setsuna saying that she would pick up Hotaru from cram school and dinner was in the refridgerator. Haruka was so tired that she wasn't even remotely hungry. She also decided that she'd bypass the shower she desperately needed in favor of sleep. As she fell onto the bed she thought of Michiru and drifted off to sleep with her arm wrapped around her mate's pillow.  
  
"We need a second driver," Garvey said thoughtfully at the team meeting the next morning. He looked at Yamura. "You have any more rabbits to pull out of your hat?" his fingers went unconciously to touch the brim of his Stetson.  
  
The older mechanic laughed ruefully, "No, no more rabbits."  
  
"Well then, I have a couple of suggestions. There is a test driver for the BAR, British American Racing Team, who looks pretty promising, and there are always a couple kids in the CART circuit who are looking to break into Formula One. There is one Formula 3000 driver who looks especially promising, Nick Miller.  
He's been working himself up through the ranks. Plus he's American and there are a lot of sponsors who want to take their products global, they'll be lining up to give us money."  
  
Yamura wasn't swayed by the promise of more funds. "I want to see him drive."  
  
Garvey smiled around his cigar. "That can be arranged."  
  
Nick Miller looked out the window, as the car he was in made its way to the Silverstone Track. He'd read on a race day that the roads were impossibly clogged. The FIA had been threatening that unless the track's access was improved, Silverstone risked losing its slot on the racing calendar.  
  
When he arrived he was introduced to the chief race engineer Heinrich Wagner. The German possessed piercing, intelligent, hazel eyes and a harsh face made up of severe lines. His craggy eyebrows were low over his eyes as if he had just heard some extremely unpleasant news. Though he was of medium height he slightly reminded Nick of Grumpy the dwarf from the Disney version of Snow White. Nick's eyes flicked to a nearby monitor. There were aleady several laps recorded, the numbers were impressive to say the least.  
  
He saw the constructor and head mechanic, a small, wiry Japanese man with bright warm eyes, and the tall remote figure next to him had to be the Haruka Tenoh. Nick had heard about him. He'd all but disappeared from the motor sport world, but from the times he'd been posting earlier Nick knew that he'd lost none of his skill. Miller knew that to get the slot on this new team he would have to achieve a lap time within a reasonable range of Tenoh's fastest. Getting down to business, Nick pulled down his fire retardant hood, kissed his lucky helmet, and slid it on.  
  
A team of mechanics rolled the car out to the track and jacked the vehicle off the ground. Four other mechanics moved in and put tire warmers on the waiting Goodyears. The warmers would heat the rubber to approximately 200 degrees thereby giving the car maximum grip. Yet another mechanic came over to gently work the black covering off the back wing of the car. It was there to prevent any spy photographers from getting a shot at the customized technology.  
Nick climbed into the car and snapped himself into the five point seat belt. He then attached the steering wheel and signaled for the mechanic outside to start the engine.  
  
As soon as his foot touched the gas pedal, the responsive car shot forward. He began his warm up lap, noting with awe the famous circuit he was driving, as he rounded Woodcote corner. He could hardly believe that he was actually here, but instead of dwelling upon the historic scenery, he centered his mind on the task at hand -getting the most out of this car.  
  
After three blistering laps, Nick pulled the car up to the pit and slid out, remembering to replace the steering wheel. He could see everyone in quiet conference. Wagner was shaking his head.  
Tenoh stood leaning against a wall, but making his opinion known in a low voice. Nick knew his laps were good, but were they good enough? After a moment the big man with the cigar headed his direction and Nick tensed.  
It was the moment of truth.  
  
"Welcome to the team, Miller!" Garvey boomed, shaking hands with the young man. "The spot is yours if you want it." The oilman's smile seemed to indicate that he was sure Nick wouldn't be turning down the offer.  
  
He was right. Nick nodded his acceptance and continued shaking hands with the man until Garvey pulled away. Inside he was a bit dazed, but that feeling was giving way to a rising feeling of elation. He was so caught up is his own thoughts that he didn't notice Tenoh until his new teammate softly cleared his throat.  
  
"Congratulations," Tenoh said with hardly a trace of accent.  
The blonde flashed even white teeth when he smiled and Nick felt himself returning it.  
  
"Thank you," he answered quietly. Then he swallowed hard and said again in a stronger voice, "Thank you." He then noticed that Tenoh had extended a congratulatory hand and he took it in a firm handshake.  
  
"I can hardly believe it, I have to call my girlfriend ...and my parents." Nick was still at a loss.  
  
Tenoh nodded, understanding. "The phone is in that building.  
First left." this was punctuated with a pointed shrug of a shoulder.  
  
Nick nodded. "Thanks man. I'll catch you later."  
  
Haruka smiled enigmatically behind her shades. "Ja ne." As Miller disappeared inside, Haruka found her gaze drawn to Yamura-sensei.  
Something seemed to be troubling him. Garvey also noticed that his mechanic was looking far more dour than the occasion seemed to warrant.  
  
"What's wrong? We've got the kid, hook, line and sinker!"  
Garvey was filled with excitement over Nick's performance and his willingness to come on board the team.  
  
Yamura looked concerned. "I hope that the FIA commission will grant him a super license. He has to have one to compete."  
  
"Of course they will. They granted Tenoh's. In fact, it was a walk in the park," Garvey said confidently.  
  
"They'd already granted Haruka-chan one several years ago,  
to withhold one now would make the commission look as though it was unsure of itself, but Nick's experience is limited in their eyes. I think there will be trouble," Yamura said with a frown.  
  
The mechanic's words proved prophetic. When Miller's application for a Formula One super license went before the Federation Internationaled Automobile, it was accompanied by protest letters from three of the top Formula One teams. Each one charging that the new racer didn't have the experience necessary to compete on the level of Formula One and that the FIA would be reckless in granting him a super license.  
  
Garvey countered by listing several applicants that had been pushed through with even less experience than Nick and gently reminded the committee that Nick was from the United States. He and they knew that the man who was responsible for the US Grand Prix in Indianapolis, the most well attended Grand Prix worldwide, was leaning heavily on the leadership of the FIA to come up with an American driver to help win the interest of the US in Formula One.  
While the FIA was a sports association, it was also a healthy business and saw Garvey's thinly veiled point and awarded the license to his second driver.  
  
Two weeks later Garvey staged an unveiling ceremony for the new car. He'd been reporting a steady flow of sponsorship offers flowing from both sides of the Pacific. Several Japanese companies were hot to back Haruka and just as many American ones were ready to throw their money behind Nick. The potential was there to build a healthy team in a sport that could quickly absorb obscene amounts of money. So far the team didn't even know what colors they would be wearing. All of the answers were on the car that lay concealed on the stage under a dark cloth. Garvey stepped out before the sea of mechanics and engineers and lifted his hands and the group fell silent.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank all of you for your hard work. Every person on this team is and will be important to our success in bringing home the World Championship title!" The paddock erupted in cheers. After a moment Garvey called for silence again and stepped over to the covered car. He gathered one edge in his meaty fist preparing for the right moment.  
  
"It is my pleasure to present to you, the car for the Vinyri, Garvey Sony Ferrari Team!!!" He yanked the covering from the car exposing its gleaming red livery to the anxious eyes of the team. Everyone admired the whole vehicle, but of the greatest interest were the Goodyear tires adorning the fiery red car. This now meant that the other two tire providers in Formula One,  
Bridgestone and Michelin had some real competition.  
  
Nick stood next to Haruka in awe. "It's beautiful," he whispered.  
  
Haruka said nothing, but she silently agreed with her teammate's assessment. Her dark eyes traveled over the sleek lines and desire welled up inside of her. She couldn't wait to get behind the wheel.  
  
The carbon chassis, no longer a dull black, now shone with a coat of knockout red paint. The Sony sponsorship was evident as well as the prominent Coca-cola and Apple logos. Smaller sections were devoted to Glico, Shell, and Delphi Automotives, there were even two Fuji Film logos on the sidepods.  
  
One sponsor name confused Miller. He leaned over to ask Haruka, "What's Glico?"  
  
Haruka raised an eyebrow and answered, "It's a Japanese candy company. They make a very popular cookie called Pocky."  
  
"Where did a cookie company get that kind of money?" Nick wondered aloud.  
  
"It's a very good cookie," Haruka informed him, before turning her attention back to listen as Yamura gave a small speech.  
  
Nick cleared his throat and nudged his teammate again. Haruka shot a glare at him out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"He's finally come out of retirement," he said, nodding toward Yamura. Haruka simply nodded. Nick knew he should have just let it go, but he pressed forward anyway.  
  
"He's a genius with cars. Why did he ever leave?"  
  
Haruka was silent for a moment then answered in a quiet voice, "His son was killed in a Formula 2 race."  
  
Miller swallowed hard. "What happened?" he asked, his voice thick.  
  
"Back then, they didn't have the visors we have today. A rock was thrown by the car in front of him. At that speed it was like a rifle bullet. He was killed instantly. After that Yamura-san just didn't care anymore," Haruka trailed off.  
  
"Man, that's harsh," Nick said softly and lapsed into silence for the rest of the event.  
  
"Both of you come," Yamura addressed them after the unveiling.  
Haruka and Nick followed him into a conference room where a gentleman with a small mustache and an expensive looking briefcase waited.  
  
He ignored the two racers and spoke directly to Yamura.  
  
"First, we'll need a safety inspection for our insurers and then I will need a list of expenses..."  
  
"Who are you?" Nick asked bluntly, annoyed at the man's behavior.  
  
"Oh, I'm Nigel Winthrop. I was sent by the English shareholders of one of your sponsors to make sure that they are not making a foolhardy investment." The Englishman sniffed.  
  
Haruka's eyebrow twitched. She really wasn't surprised by this,  
companies could be very antsy when it came to money. That didn't make it any less of an annoyance. Winthrop demanded a tour of the facilities and the two racers were forced to follow along. It was quickly apparent that Nigel knew next to nothing about Formula One.  
  
Nigel looked in consternation at the car. "I say, that car is missing its roof!"  
  
Nick looked at it. "Nope, that's a Formula One car."  
  
"I was under the impression all race cars were the same, like those little boxes with things like 'Mel-low Yel-low' stamped all over them." He sniffed.  
  
"You mean NASCAR?" Nick was grinning now.  
  
"Yes, I suppose so, 'NASCAR'," Nigel repeated, testing the word on his tongue.  
  
Miller chuckled. "Nope, Formula One is a whole different ball game."  
  
END OF CHAPTER ONE  
Author's Notes Redux:  
  
Author's Notes: Thank you first of all to my editor Kate. She did a great job editing. I couldn't have done it without her.  
My thanks to Anne and Larry for helping me with some of the finer points about engines and Formula One cars.  
Thanks to me friend T for lots of things, including support and friendship.  
Congrats to Rhapsody and Brent the Library Guy who have just gotten engaged  
Thank you to Fire Child, Suiren-chan and Selina-chan for their love and support.  
I highly recommend seeing an actual Formula One race if you can.  
The 2002 season begins on March 3rd. I didn't think I would like it but surprise, surprise I am now a F1 addict 


	2. Part 2

F1 Part Two Revised by Saun Rated: PG-13 Haruka and Michiru  
  
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon & Company, Ferrari, Michael Schumacher,  
Rubens Barichello, BMW, McLaren Mercedes, Bernie Ecclestone,  
Jean Todt, Ross Brawn, Formula One Magazine and all other persons and institutions associated with the FIA do not belong to me. I just borrowed them for a bit. ¬.¬ Please don't sue me.  
  
A few weeks later the entire team was assembled for their first official meeting. All department heads were present.  
A man named Ned Barkley was in charge of giving the orientation speech.  
  
"This is the man to beat, Michael Schumacher, the three time world champion. His teammate is Rubens Barichello. They race for the Ferrari team. This is the McLaren team, David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen. Coulthard had a shot at the world championship last year, but he lost to Schumacher at the Hungarian Grand Prix.  
Pit crew was too slow disconnecting the fuel line." His eyes flicked to Yamura, but the little man made no move to acknowledge the gaze. "You also might want to watch out for Ralf Schumacher,  
Michael's younger brother. He races for BMW. Kid's been known to win a few. His teammate Juan Pablo Montoya flies around most tracks, but he has a tendency to push too hard. These guys are from the Sauber team. They are number four behind Ferrari,  
Mercedes and BMW... "  
  
Miller leaned over to Haruka."He must think we're idiots."  
  
Haruka gave a small smile. She knew all about every racer on the Formula One circuit. She'd kept up with it in magazines and by watching the races as well as reading articles online.  
  
Garvey's man continued with his speech, undaunted by the lack of interest on everyone's faces. "And this is Bernie Ecclestone, he's in charge of...well, everything. Don't make him mad. Are there any questions?"  
  
Miller raised his hand.  
  
"Yes?" the speaker quickly recognized the driver,  
probably glad that at least someone was taking interest in his speech.  
  
"Is it time for juice and cookies yet, Teach?" Nick queried with a straight face.  
  
Laughter erupted from the back of the room.  
  
Garvey chuckled. "Let them go, Ned. From what I understand, we're running pit crew drills today. Tenoh and Miller, you go with Nigel."  
  
"I thought we were going to start testing the cars today?" Miller was obviously disappointed.  
  
"You will, hotshot, but first things first." Garvey assured his driver. "...First things first."  
  
"Where are we going?" Nick demanded as he followed Winthrop out to the parking lot. A car was already waiting with a driver inside. Haruka had resigned herself to accept whatever the little Englishman had in store, but under her arm was a stack of data on the preliminary test results of the tire compound Goodyear would be using in the first race of 2002, in Australia. As they drove, she studied the data but still managed to keep her attention on the exchange.  
  
"The stock holders have contributed quite a lot of money to your team and they want to be sure that their trust is not misplaced. I've arranged for you to have a physical with one of Britain's foremost sports physicians."  
  
"Not Sid Watkins?" Nick asked, thinking that perhaps he might meet the neurosurgeon who had done so much to improve the safety conditions of F1 racing.  
  
"No, Dr. Watkins is a busy man, but we have retained a physician who is perhaps a bit more objective," Nigel explained coolly. This seemed to satisfy the American since he sat back and stared out the window as they headed toward London.  
  
Haruka stopped breathing for a second when Nigel had revealed that they were going to be examined, then willed herself to relax. She was quite glad she had taken the time to deal with her chest this morning. Everything was stuck down and out of the way.  
She turned her attention back to her reports, forgetting all else until they arrived at their destination.  
  
The examination started with forms... lots of forms to be filled out in triplicate and returned to the rather foreboding looking nurse at the front desk. Haruka found herself writing down her full medical history...minus one or two points that she deemed irrelevant to her involvement and performance in Formula One. Haruka finished her forms, turned them in, and began glancing through a magazine while waiting for her teammate to finish his paper work.  
Finally, Nick handed his clipboard over to the nurse and returned to his seat. Eventually the door opened and the nurse called for both Nick and Haruka to follow her to the back. Haruka noticed with slight annoyance that Nigel also rose and followed the racers into the office.  
  
The nurse put them in examining rooms right beside each other and Nick hoped onto the examining table, but Haruka went into the second room and arranged herself in the spare chair and made herself comfortable with her magazine. The nurse returned and popped a thermometer in Haruka's mouth. After the tiny alarm went of the woman recorded the results and then vanished. Winthrop was pacing in the hall and he kept stopping at Haruka's door and peering in like a nervous bird. Finally, Haruka snaked her foot out and nudged the door closed so she wouldn't have to see him anymore.  
  
A short time later there was a knock at the door and a small dark haired young woman stepped inside. She was quite lovely and Haruka noted with surprise and pleasure that she was her doctor. This wasn't going to be as boring an afternoon as she had thought it might be. The woman greeted her warmly.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tenoh, I'm Doctor Helen Reid." The woman smiled warmly at her patient. One of the papers in the chart slipped out and Haruka deftly caught it returning it to the woman.  
  
"Oh my... thank you. You have excellent reflexes," the doctor observed.  
  
"Thank you." Haruka in turn gave her a charming smile;  
the one she knew from experience brought most females to their knees. It seemed to work because the good doctor blushed and dropped her eyes back to the chart. Well, Mr. Tenoh, lets get on with your examination shall we? Have you had alcohol,  
tobacco, caffeine, or performed vigorous exercise within 30 minutes of the exam?""  
  
"No," Haruka assured the young doctor, her eyes sparking mischievously.  
  
"That's wonderful. Would you move to this table please." The woman patted the examining table.  
  
Haruka rose and slid up onto the table with lithe grace. The doctor turned to face her.  
  
Inside Doctor Reid was struggling to maintain her air of cool professionalism. She saw athletes all the time but Mr. Tenoh had taken her aback. She gently took one of the lean wrists into her hand and ignored the delicious tingle that came from that contact as she searched for the radial artery with her sensitive fingertips. When she found it she felt the first beat, and was waiting for the second while watching the second hand on her Timex. When a full fifteen seconds had passed she frowned, so far she had only counted 12 heartbeats, which when multiplied by four only gave Tenoh a resting heart rate of 48 beats per minute.  
That was extremely low but not unusual for a professional athlete in fantastic condition. Dr. Reid checked her findings again. She confirmed her results and then still holding her patient's wrist she began observing the patient's breathing. Tenoh's breaths were deep, slow,  
and even, that meant optimum lung function. As the doctor made a note in her chart her mind briefly wondered just exactly what it would take to get Tenoh's heart rate up,  
but the cool, science oriented part of her mind quashed the thought before it could completely crystallize.  
  
Next she needed to perform checks on the major muscle groups. She asked Tenoh if there was any muscles that were tender or gave him any pain. Receiving a negative answer she proceeded to have Haruka go through an active range of motion with each joint, while she watched closely for any abnormalities. Again Helen felt an unwelcome flash of warmth as she watched those strong muscles in the patient's forearm flex beneath tan skin. Quickly she moved on with the exam. She took Tenoh's hands in her own and checked the circulation. She noted that the slender finders were strong and supple, quite beautiful really in repose. She had a sudden thought of those hands sliding up the inside of...  
  
"All right!" Helen gasped out breathlessly;  
dropping Haruka's hand and stepping back. She made a few notes in her chart. "Let me check your heat...er,  
heartbeat." She was relieved when her patient didn't acknowledge her little slip of the tongue. She placed the stethoscope on Haruka's firm chest and listened to the slow, steady beats. Next she moved the stethoscope to Haruka's back as she listened for any respiration abnormalities. The patient was in near perfect health.  
  
"Mr. Tenoh. I know that there is a tremendous strain on your neck in those cars. If you feel any discomfort during this examination I want you to let me know immediately, so we can identify any potential problems." The doctor slipped on her latex gloves. She carefully inspected her patient for any abnormal symptoms and finding none she gently checked Haruka's ears, nose and throat.  
  
"All right, that all looks fine." Dr. Reid used her gloved fingers to palpitate the strong column of Haruka's neck. "Any tenderness?"  
  
"Not at all, Dr. Reid." Haruka answered smoothly.  
Doctor Reid shivered slightly as she felt the vibration from the words travel up through her fingers. The voice was so husky and sensual. Helen allowed herself to wonder if Mr.  
Tenoh was involved with anyone. It was an idle thought she told herself as she quickly checked the lymph nodes and thyroid gland.  
  
"All right please lay back on the table" Dr. Reid instructed her patient. Haruka complied and pulled up the outer shirt she wore. Helen noticed that her patient still had a T-shirt on beneath his outer wear but she decided it didn't matter, if she could feel any abnormality through latex gloves she could certainly feel them through a thin T-shirt. She probed the spleen and liver, checking placement and size. The whole time she watched her patient's face for signs of discomfort, she found Tenoh watching her with almost bored detachment. All was going well as she completed her exam until something an instructor had often said floated back to her, "Try to visualize the underlying anatomy as you examine the patient." That was it, the doctor abruptly straightened and pulled her gloves off quickly, tossing them into the silver trash can.  
  
"Well, Mr. Tenoh, everything looks perfectly normal.  
You are in excellent physical shape. I see no reason that you would not be able to continue racing and I will advise Mr.  
Winthrop as such. I do want to get a blood sample from you to run some routine tests. Nurse Boksamil will be in just a few moments."  
  
"Thank you, doctor," Haruka said with an innocent smile.  
  
"Yes, well, it was a pleasure to meet you. As soon as I finish with your teammate, I would like to perform a standard eye exam. I will see you then." With that the flustered woman hurried next door unaware of the amused teal eyes that followed her progress.  
  
After Dr. Reid had examined Miller and both racers had given what felt like a pint of blood to Nurse Boksamil, they were reunited with Winthrop. Nigel was sitting beside the nurses station in a chair they had apparently placed there for him;  
they probably were also tired of his incessant pacing. The wiry man was looking rather apprehensive, like a mother hen that had misplaced her chicks.  
  
"Well," he asked, quickly rising to his feet when he saw the doctor.  
  
"Everything is fine," Dr. Reid assured him. Haruka noted that the woman seemed to have regained her composure.  
  
"They are both in great condition. The only abnormality was their pulse rates. They ran between 48 - 55 beats per minute."  
  
"What!?" Winthrop stared at the two racers like they were the living dead.  
  
The doctor was amused. "Most racers have a resting pulse of 60 or below. It will level off at 190 when they race,  
before coming back down later." The woman's eyes flicked down to the medical sheets she was holding. She noticed in passing that Tenoh's sex was not filled in and instead of troubling the young man added the "M" for him. "These men are built like race horses,  
Mr. Winthrop. The only thing I can think of that's comparable to what they put their bodies through is an Olympic marathon runner and I don't even know if that is on par."  
  
Winthrop took another disbelieving glance at Tenoh and Miller. Tenoh's eyes were shaded by his aviator sunglasses, but there was an amused smirk on his lips. Miller was doing his best to appear innocent, but the corners of his mouth were twitching.  
  
"Before you go I'd like to do a thorough check on they're eyesight just to be safe," Dr. Reid stated.  
  
"Yes, of course," Winthrop answered for the two racers.  
  
They followed the doctor into another room for the eye exam. It was easy to see why she had waited to do the check last.  
Her office had a well-stocked opthamological exam room, that would have made any eye physician proud.  
  
The doctor projected a normal eye chart on the wall and handed Miller an eye patch. Winthrop stood off to the side and was privately grateful he could see the giant E at the top.  
"Cover your left eye, please." Nick did as he was asked. "Can you read the bottom line for me?" the doctor asked.  
  
"P,E,Z,O,L,C,F,T,3," Nick rattled off without missing a beat.  
  
"Very good," commented the doctor. Without looking up from her notations in a chart she rolled the knob on the projector. Winthrop squinted at the wall, all he saw were smudges.  
  
"Can you read the bottom line now?" the doctor inquired looking at Miller.  
  
Nick squinted and caught a couple, but he could read the small print two lines above it with no trouble.  
  
"20/10," Helen pronounced.  
  
When Haruka took Nick's place a few minutes later, she was able to read the tiny print that had foiled Miller a moment before.  
  
"Better than 20/5." The doctor seemed impressed. She re-acquired Nick and checked his corneal reflections and pupillary reactions to light. She then repeated the process on Haruka.  
  
"All right. Everything seems normal. If either of you have any problems that your physical therapists can't take care of,  
feel free to contact me. Mr. Winthrop, if I can just get these two to sign a waiver, I will fax a full copy of my report to the FIA. "  
  
"Thank you." Nigel actually smiled, which made him resemble a large ferret.  
  
The doctor turned on the two racers and shook her slender finger at the them like a school teacher warning her children against some infraction.. "Watch those fluids," she warned. "No coffee, no tea, and above all - no alcohol."  
  
"Yes, we wouldn't want to have to make an unscheduled stop at the loo during a race," Nigel quipped. He laughed at his own joke, but it died in his throat when no one else joined in.  
  
"They're dehydrants and in F1 they can be fatal," the doctor supplied for the embarrassed Englishman. "Racers lose six percent of their body weight during a race, mostly due to dehydration." Dr. Reid continued to make a few final notes in her chart. "At three percent loss, motor control starts to break down and decision making is impaired. That's why you'll see all of the unfit racers slowing down near the end of the race."  
  
Nigel gulped. He'd known Formula One racing was no cakewalk, but hadn't realized that it was grueling. Dr. Reid seemed satisfied that her warning had been effective.  
  
"Well, gentlemen, it has been a pleasure. I wish you good day and good luck." With a wave of her hand and a final look at the handsome blonde driver, the good doctor was gone. It was time for the little band to head back to the track.  
  
"We have special permission to do our testing on the Suzuka track in Japan," someone yelled to the garage at large.  
  
Haruka allowed a ghost of a smile at that announcement, since she would be close to home and Michiru. Then her countenance darkened because, despite that working out well on a personal level, Nick would have to be in Texas at the University for testing in the wind tunnels.  
Construction was already being planned for the team's own wind tunnels,  
but work could not actually begin on them for some time. Until then,  
data would be gathered on two sides of the Pacific and that left a lot of room for error. Haruka didn't like it. She strode purposefully into Garvey's office.  
  
"There's no way we can build a competitive car this season without at least one wind tunnel," Haruka said firmly.  
  
Garvey watched his driver. "We're renting the facility in Texas."  
  
"Yes, but Ferrari spends at least 22 hours a day in both of theirs, constantly improving the aerodynamics of their cars. To be competitive we need to move to a centralized location."  
  
"Did you just come in here to upset me, son, or do you have something constructive to say?"  
  
The teal eyes narrowed and lit with inner fire. "Lotus shut down its wind tunnel facilities at Wyndonham in Norfolk.  
They've finally given up on returning to Formula One. They may sponsor a team, but their research and development is dead in the water so..."  
  
"You were thinking we could buy their facility. That would give us a considerable leg up." Garvey rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'll give them a call, but I won't promise anything."  
  
Two weeks and several million dollars later the entire Vinyri team relocated to Norfolk, England.  
  
As winter began the team had to cart their cars through the inclement weather to the Silverstone track. Haruka took special care to get lots of sleep because she knew she had a propensity to take ill if she wasn't properly rested. The blonde gave a soft sigh; she missed Michiru, maybe she should call home before heading to bed.  
  
Elsewhere in the team headquarters, Nick leaned against the wall talking in muted tones to the angry woman on the other end of the phone.  
  
"I thought you'd come home after the last season!" she was trying to control her voice, but it wavered.  
  
"But, Melissa, this is Formula One. It's the pinnacle of driving. There are men who'd kill for an opportunity like this and it just fell in my lap." Nick explain.  
  
"I thought you loved me," she accused, resentment lacing her words.  
  
"I do love you, but this has always been my dream. You knew that!" Nick was frustrated. The last time he had seen Melissa she'd been extremely clingy and demanding. He'd had misgivings then, but ignored them.  
  
"And what about my dreams! Don't you care that I have to sit up and worry about you every other stupid weekend! It's not safe. I want you to come home! Daddy even said that he'd give you a job," Melissa pleaded.  
  
"I don't want to work for your father in some damn desk job. I want to race cars. I have always wanted to race cars. It's in my blood, I need it." Nick leaned against the wall as he tried to explain the explosive passion for speed that consumed him.  
  
"Oh, you need it? You need it but you don't need me?"  
She was being petty now.  
  
"Melissa..." He was at a loss. What did she want him to say?  
  
"Well that's it, Nick Miller," she spat finally. "It's over.  
Our engagement is off."  
  
Miller felt icy dread grip him and he struggled to make himself heard in the wake Melissa's cold angry voice. "But, Lissa, I lo..."  
  
"And I'm keeping the ring!" she cut him off viciously and slammed the phone down.  
  
Nick held the reciever for a couple of seconds before replacing it. He started blindly forward stopping in front of the water cooler. Consumed with rage he gave it a vicious kick before leaving, oblivious to the puddle that was forming on the floor.  
  
Garvey was pleased that he had sponsor money, but his team wasn't exactly in the spotlight. He needed a way to generate more interest in his drivers. While he pondered this question in his businessman's mind, he kept one eye on his grand nieces. The girls had come with their mother to visit him this weekend and Garvey had decided to take them with him to introduce and hopefully addict them to the international atmosphere that was Formula One. He watched the girls as they whispered to each other and then burst into giggles. He followed their blushing gazes to their targets -his drivers.  
  
What a pair they were. Tenoh was tall and slender with sandy blonde locks and a few strands that had been bleached lighter by the sun. Nothing of course could hide his vibrant teal eyes. Miller was shorter and stockier than his teammate with close-cropped light brown hair and icy blue eyes. They were going to have a terrible time keeping the ladies away from these two. Garvey suddenly had a brilliant idea.  
  
"Why are we here?" Nick wanted to know. "We've already done our PR shoot."  
  
Haruka shrugged, but inside she was annoyed.  
  
They had been dragged in after morning practice, still in their driver's overalls. Both drivers were hungry and anxious to analyze the data from the morning's work.  
  
A young blonde woman bounced in. Her long hair was back in a smart ponytail and she held a camera.  
  
"All right, gentlemen. Look at the camera and smile!"  
  
Haruka had almost forgotten the strange shoot a few weeks later, but her regular call home revealed Garvey's plan.  
  
"Haruka-papa! You were in Seventeen!" Hotaru yelled over the phone.  
  
"What's that?" Haruka asked.  
  
"It's a girl's magazine. They said you and Miller-san were hot!"  
  
Haruka pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oy."  
  
Michiru looked at the page she'd torn out of the magazine. She'd first seen it at home when Hotaru had held the study group at their house and one of the girls had brought it for them to "study English". Of couse all of the children had been excited to see Hotaru's Papa inside. After admiring the picture herself, Michiru decided to buy her own copy. She looked again at the picture of Haruka in her red jumpsuit and cap looking at the camera with a slight sensual smile and eyes full of seductive promise. Michiru let out a sigh and shook her head. She felt just as she had seven years ago. She was once again that schoolgirl with a crush. The caption beneath the picture read:  
  
"Here is Japanese Formula One driver Haruka Tenoh. With his sculpted lips and dreamy eyes, I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering, "Is he taken?"  
  
'She most certainly is,' Michiru replied in her mind. She gently traced the smiling face. "I miss you, Haruka.'  
  
Haruka saw the signal to go and the race was on. Her car zipped forward. Its shiny red nose edging out in front of the other cars. She eased back on the throttle as she began to increase her lead. She could see Nick right behind her as they neared the first turn  
  
Haruka's first inkling that something was wrong was when the controls felt a little spongy. She tried to compensate but she saw Nick was having the same problem. His car began drifting toward Haruka's car. She could tell he was fighting the controls. His car lurched into Haruka's and they collided but eased apart again. Haruka could hear Miller mumbling muted curses as he wrestled his car back onto the track.  
Unfortunately, seconds later his car jerked back into Haruka's side and they collided spectacularly. Miller flipped over Haruka's car and landed in the sand trap. Chunks of carbonite and a few wheels flew violently through the air. Haruka found her own car spinning out and taking a few more cars with her before she collided with the tire barrier at near maximum speed.  
  
"Shimatta!" she muttered in a low voice. She watched detachedly as several little mechanics ran out to her crumbled,  
smoking car for what was most likely the recovery of her virtual body. With a resigned sigh, she shut down the PlayStation 2.  
  
"Someone spilled something on these controllers!" Nick griped, not noticing the mechanic who beat a hasty retreat with his soft drink. Then Miller turned and grinned at his teammate. "That doesn't bode well for the beginning of the season, does it?"  
  
Haruka was already dismantling her controller to figure out just what went wrong. "We need some alcohol or something to clean these with."  
  
Yamura stepped into the room. "Have either of you eaten dinner?"  
  
Both drivers immediately looked up in surprise.  
  
"No, sir," Miller said quickly.  
  
"Not yet, sensei," Haruka answered.  
  
Yamura smiled at both racers. "I know of a wonderful little restaurant nearby. Let's take our dinner together." He turned to go and his racers followed him out.  
  
At the restaurant, Haruka picked at her steak salad.  
She wasn't really hungry tonight. This little outing was making her miss the dinners she'd enjoyed with her little family. Michiru loved to cook and she demanded that everyone try to have dinner together at least once a week.  
  
Yamura watched her slightly concerned. "You'd better eat more than that, Haruka-chan. We don't want to be under the weight requirement on the car this weekend."  
  
Haruka smiled at his good-natured teasing. Her teammate was a bit uncomfortable, she could tell. Since neither she nor Yamura had eaten much, he was trying to be more conservative with his steak. Haruka took pity on them and took a big bite of her salad. Yamura seemed placated and Nick relieved.  
  
Yamura took the opportunity in the quiet time after their meal to question Nick about his home life. Nick was an only child who had gotten into go-karting when he was very young. He had been bitten by the speed bug and had worked hard to make his way to the top - to Formula One. Apparently Miller was also an avid biker and enjoyed getting out to go roller blading.  
  
Yamura was pleased with the way the meal progressed. As he had hoped, it was turning out to be a relaxing time that allowed the two teammates to get comfortable with one another away from the pressures of work. Haruka and Nick both enjoyed playing video games and Nick was interested in learning about games Haruka had that weren't yet released in the United States.  
  
They returned to the hotel early, so that the racers could get a full night of rest.  
  
As the chief mechanic returned to his room, he noticed that the door to Garvey's room was ajar. Yamura had respected the oilman's decision to take a regular room instead of a suite, thus saving the team some expense.  
  
As Yamura slid his keycard into the lock, the door to Garvey's room swung open and there stood the man himself. He was still fully dressed and he was silhouetted in the doorway by the glow from his laptop that was sitting on the hotel table.  
In his hand was a glass of amber liquid, Yamura guessed it was whisky from the smell of it.  
  
"They aren't your kids, you know", Garvey said irritably while tossing back his shot.. "This is a business, not a boys club."  
  
Yamura met the man's gaze and a silent acknowledgment of the conflict of interests between them was acknowledged before Yamura turned without a word and went into his room.  
  
The next morning Nick was up bright and early working with the pit crew on pit stops. He did a couple laps working up to maximum speed before heading into the pit late. As he passed the guy with the radar gun, he heard Wagner over his radio.  
  
"Speeding in the pit lane, Miller, that's a ten second penalty," Wagner stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"Dammit," Miller cursed. He was more angry at himself than anything.  
  
"Listen, you need to hit the button to limit your speed as soon as you get into the pit lane," the technical director explained patiently for not the first time that day.  
  
"I know, I forgot." Nick said resignedly.  
  
"We aren't paying you to forget," Garvey broke in. "And another thing. Remember that our pit is located at the end of the lane because everyone else will be in front of us lined up the way they finished last year's championship season. If you go zipping by Ferrari at 100 mph, they're going to notice and they're going to tattle. Hell, they ratted out Schumacher's own brother when he crossed the white line coming out of the pits!"  
  
Miller said nothing in response, but guided his car back out onto the track and started the whole process over.  
Again. As he went around the track, a part of his mind continued its analysis of the car he drove. Overall, Miller gave the car a score of 85. The steering was good, but sometimes the transmission acted up. At least, they had good engine reliability. Miller knew that he was a good driver in his own right, but he had to admit that somehow his teammate had the ability to coax that extra 10% or so from the adequate car. While Nick might be tempted to stroke his ego by saying that the team was giving Tenoh better equipment, he knew that wasn't the way Yamura operated. Miller wouldn't put anything sneaky past Garvey, but he felt that Yamura and Wagner were on the level.  
  
Nick once again headed into the pit lane. This time he remembered to hit the button and his car automatically slowed to 60 mph. The back of his car had a red light that only engaged when his speed limiter was in use. This was to ensure that no driver used it to gain extra traction on a tricky turn.  
Miller slotted into his spot and waited as the pit crew converged on his car to practice refueling and changing tires.  
Nick used the time to see what was going on elsewhere in the paddock. He saw Tenoh deep in conversation with the heads of the engineering team. One of them was a woman and that had surprised Nick, but it didn't seem to phase Haruka at all.  
  
The first qualifying session of the year dawned a clear, bright day. An electric tension filled the pit with a buzz of excitement. The announcer's box was by no means immune.  
  
"It looks like Tenoh is going to do a hot lap now that the tires are warmed up. Welcome back to the qualifying session of the 2002 Formula One Grand Prix. Right now, we are watching Vinyri team rookie, Haruka Tenoh, in his first qualifying lap in Formula One racing. So far, Michael Schumacher holds the provisional pole with an exceedingly fast lap time.  
Behind him is Juan Pablo Montoya driving for the BMW team. It will probably be a very hot battle between these two great drivers as the constructors attempt to duke it out."  
  
"That's right, Mike. BMW has really gotten their car together this..."  
  
"Wait.. wait! I'm sorry to interrupt you Jim, but Tenoh had just come around the third chicane and he's a second and a half faster than Michael's time."  
  
"Are we seeing that correctly, a second and a half faster than Schumacher? The elder Schumacher. And Tag Heuer, the official Formula One time keeper, is saying yes."  
  
"Wow, that's unbelievable!"  
  
"Yes, Haruka Tenoh is whipping through those turns as if they were nothing. Here he comes up the straight-away and it is official. Haruka Tenoh now holds the provisional pole. What a tremendous achievement from this rookie!"  
  
"Uh-oh, it looks like Schumacher Sr. doesn't like the sound of that. He's going back out again. All right,  
there he goes. He's on target at the first chicane. Oh no!  
Heidfeld's Sauber is slowing him up a bit. Ok, here he comes back toward the pit lane and no, he did not break Tenoh's time."  
  
"It looks like Miller has had a mechanical problem.  
Oh dear. He's taking a little trip through the kitty litter there."  
  
"Yes, Miller is in the gravel trap. Here comes the crane to get the car. It may have been an engine stall, Mike.  
I just hope they can get it fixed so he can do a qualifying lap or he may have to qualify in Tenoh's car. They can't use the spare car in qualifying."  
  
"I think they are already switching it over. I don't believe Tenoh is going to need it again after he set that impressive time."  
  
"And after only using less than half of his allotted laps. Incredible!"  
  
"Well, it is official, Haruka Tenoh holds the pole position, M. Schumacher is number two on the grid, and after him is his brother Ralf Schumacher and then David Coulthard,  
Barichello and Raikkonnen. What a race this is going to be!"  
  
END OF CHAPTER TWO  
  
In perspective: "An averagely fit person would not be able to support his own head after just a couple of laps exposure to the forces [a formula one] car is capable of that according to the manga Haruka was a black belt in Judo... being a martial artist myself I can't even begin to imagine sparring with someone in that kind of shape. 


	3. Part 3

F1 Part Three Revised by Saun Rated: PG-13 Haruka and Michiru  
  
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon & Company, Ferrari, Michael Schumacher,  
Rubens Barichello, BMW, McLaren Mercedes, Bernie Ecclestone,  
Jean Todt, Ross Brawn, Formula One Magazine and all other persons and institutions associated with the FIA do not belong to me. I just borrowed them for a bit. ¬.¬ Please don't sue me.  
  
Before ten o'clock in the morning, Nick heard a knock at his trailer door. He opened it to find Haruka waiting for him.  
  
"Are you ready?" the blonde racer asked quietly.  
  
Nick was confused. "Ready for what?"  
  
"Driver's meeting," his teammate replied succinctly.  
  
"But that doesn't start for another fifteen minutes."  
  
"It's best to be early and to present a united front."  
Haruka impatiently rested her hands on her hips.  
  
They made their way together to the driver's meeting.  
Nick saw that most of the senior racers were also early. Schumacher and his teammate, Barichello, arrived just after Haruka and himself.  
Coulthard and Raikkonen were already there. Most of the racers ignored the rookies, although some did give a passing glance to the new team in red. All of the drivers lined up for the official driver's picture.  
  
Later as the race time neared, Haruka and Nick waited to pilot their cars onto the starting grid.  
  
"They have powerful engines," Nick commented aloud. "Beating them is going to be tough." Yamura grunted and moved back over the cars. Nick watched as a BMW team member stretched before getting into his car. He rubbed his jaw absently as he thought about the coming race.  
  
Haruka also watched the other teams prepare. She was clearing her mind of all thought and all emotion. She looked at the track and felt nothing. She glanced at her teammate; he seemed worried. Her mind suddenly flew to a young blonde girl who never, ever gave up even when it seemed all hope was lost and unbidden a smile came to her lips.  
  
"'The race goes not to the swift or the strong, but rather the one who endures,'" she quoted softly.  
  
Nick's head jerked up. He hadn't expected an answer,  
especially not from his enigmatic teammate, but he inclined his head. Then Yamura's shout alerted them that it was time.  
  
"Well, it's a beautiful day here in Melbourne!"  
  
"Yes it is, Jim. We are only minutes away from the beginning of the 2002 season."  
  
That's right, Bob. It looks like it's going to be a very exciting race. This is team Vinyri's maiden Grand Prix and not only that, they are running on Goodyear tires!"  
  
"Yes, this is certainly big news for Michelin, who provides tires for Williams BMW, and Bridgestone who is the supplier for Ferrari and McLaren Mercedes. I think everyone on the paddock is going to be watching the results. Goodyear was quite a force on the F1 track not too long ago and it looks like they may be again."  
  
"I agree. Well, Bob, it is almost time for the start, but we have a correspondent down on the track with rookie Haruka Tenoh.  
So let's go to Dave on the track. What do you have for us, Dave?"  
  
"Well, I am going to try to talk with Haruka Tenoh, driver for Vinyri. Ah yes, Haruka, do you have anything you would like to say about the upcoming race?"  
  
Haruka paused in putting on her fireproof Nomex hood. She cocked her head to the side and looked off into the distance. "The wind is... confident." She gave a wry half smile, pulling on her hood then her helmet before striding away.  
  
The announcers picked up the commentary. "And with that cryptic statement Formula One rookie Haruka Tenoh prepares to race in this first Grand Prix of the season!"  
  
"And the entire Vinyri team is lucky to be here today, Jim.  
After yesterday's qualifying sessions Schumacher, Coulthard, and Irvine were talking to Bernie Ecclestone, suggesting that there might be something illegal going on. The entire Vinyri team has had to go through a rigorous inspection, but the report today is that this team is by the book."  
  
"True. Yesterday, Tenoh was achieving some incredible speeds. That is really not expected from a rookie, but it needs to be remembered that he was a test driver and before that Champion of Japan's Junior racing circuit. If you watch tapes of him driving,  
you will see that this is a driver who makes very few mistakes. Just incredible talent there."  
  
"Everyone is saying this new team may be just the thing to inject new life into Formula One."  
  
"Yes, this could really bring in the interest of the younger crowd."  
  
Nigel Winthrop watched the race from the owner's box. He had always heard stories about the roar of the engines, but he wasn't hearing any of that now. Formula One engines were so finely tuned that the sound was a high pitched whine. As the pack of cars barreled around the track they sounded like a swarm of angry bumblebees...only louder. Nigel clapped his hands over his ears.  
Two of the cars spun out on the first turn, apparently suffering from a mechanical malfunction.  
  
The launch control on the two Vinyri cars worked perfectly,  
gaining them precious seconds, but the Ferraris pulled ahead along with Juan Pablo Montoya's BMW  
  
Her foot slowly increasing pressure on the accelerator,  
Haruka was holding back other competitors. Her engine wailed like a banshee as it was pushed to the maximum. The wind slammed into her car with the force of four hurricanes, but it did nothing to relieve the rising heat in the cockpit. Haruka's eyes flicked to the mirror.  
  
Nick was somewhere behind her, but she couldn't see him.  
There was a splash of green that was probably Eddie Irvine's Jaguar.  
Haruka listened to the radio. She knew that Wagner would give her a head's up about what to expect at any minute. Sure enough, the German's calm voice came over the radio.  
  
"Ok, you're fourth. Kimi Raikkonen stalled on the starting grid and Ralf Schumacher is being held up by an Arrows.  
Miller is actually holding Coulthard. I am reading a little fluctuation in your brake fluid, how does it feel?"  
  
"It's fine," Haruka answered. "I can definitely catch Barichello and maybe Montoya. What are you thinking about the pit strategy?" The blonde waited patiently for an answer as she braked for a sharp turn. She trusted Wagner completely. Yamura had hand picked him for his brilliant, strategic mind. Haruka knew that Wagner and Yamura were old chess buddies and that, as intelligent as her sensei was, he'd won few games against Heinrich Wagner. Her answer came within a few seconds.  
  
"We definitely still want you to pit before Michael, so that you can overtake him while he's in the pit. Then it will be up to you to make the fastest laps you can before your next stop.  
I need you to buy us at least 12 seconds." You could almost hear the gears in Wagner's head working as he played several scenarios,  
picking the best one for his racer. "Come in around lap eighteen."  
  
"So a two stop strategy?" Haruka asked just to be sure.  
  
"I'd stake my reputation on it," Wagner bit out.  
  
That was good enough for Haruka. The image of Barichello's red Ferrari was becoming much clearer as Haruka closed the distance between them. She had decided long ago not to leave winning races up to pit strategy. If she had the opportunity to pass, she would take it. The other driver was able to keep Haruka behind him for a couple of laps, but the blonde kept up the pressure. Eventually, Barichello made a mistake and Haruka slid past him. Now, she was after larger game.  
  
Wagner alerted her that Montoya and Michael Schumacher were battling for the lead approximately three fourths of the way up the track. Haruka took her first pit stop. It was flawless. She was back on the track in less than eight seconds, but she was once again behind Barichello. Haruka needed to pass him again if she was going to have a chance at taking the lead.  
  
The blonde racer was preparing to battle her way past the Ferrari when suddenly the other car slowed. 'A mechanical failure'  
Haruka realized as she swung past the floundering car and shot off in pursuit of the race leaders. As far as she knew, they were on the twenty first lap and neither Montoya nor Michael had pitted yet.  
They were each trying to outlast the other, but didn't have the fuel capacity to keep up their current pace. Haruka only needed to lay on the speed and bide her time. She could see them in front of her.  
Montoya made the slightest movement toward the pit and Schumacher cut over to beat him there. Taking advantage of the opportunity,  
Haruka mashed down her accelerator and took off. 'Twelve seconds,  
twelve seconds, twelve seconds' pounded through her brain.  
  
Haruka's car flew around the track. She was race leader now. She kept waiting to be challenged, but Wagner informed her that Montoya had spun off trying to make up time and that Miller was dueling with M. Schumacher. Haruka pushed herself until it was time for her next stop. She was out in seven seconds and flew down the straight. It was growing hotter on the track, but the Goodyear tires were rising to the occasion. Haruka was pleased that the decision to use them had paid off so well.  
  
As the temperature rose the heat began to distort the air making the mirror view behind Haruka appear distorted like a mirage.  
Suddenly out of the haze emerged a red car. It was Miller and behind him was Schumacher. One would be hard pressed to tell the rookie from the champion with the excellent job Miller was doing keeping the other car behind him.  
  
Suddenly the red Ferrari edged out and made short work of passing the other car. Haruka paid no attention to the looming Ferrari. Michael had waited too long to make his move.  
  
The blonde's car was responding perfectly. She was going to do it; she was going to win. She pushed her foot down and headed toward the checkered flag.  
  
"He's done it! He's done it! Tenoh has won his debut Grand Prix!"  
  
"Yes, Jim, and this is just the second time in the history of Formula One that something like this has happened!"  
  
"The last time this happened was in 1961 at the French Grand Prix when Giancarlo Baghetti won his first race in Formula One."  
  
"Wow, Vinyri and Goodyear have put both racers on the podium!"  
  
Haruka took the champagne and shook it. Miller laughed and shook his own bottle. They popped the corks and quickly soaked each other. In the excitement they embraced briefly both excited to have come so far so soon. It was incredible.  
  
"I say, should they be allowed to have that?" Nigel asked worriedly, pointing at the champagne. He remembered that the doctor had said 'no alcohol.' Never mind that the two drivers were wearing it,  
not drinking it.  
  
Joe Garvey just grinned at his racers and snagged Nick's bottle taking a big swig. Yes, the taste of victory was sweet indeed.  
  
"Fourteen constructors points!!" Wagner, the technical advisor shouted and punched the air with both fists.  
  
"Fourteen?" Nigel echoed blankly. He still wasn't familiar with F1 scoring. Nick had dutifully taken the other man under his wing.  
  
"Yes, you get ten points for first and four for third. To get the number of total points any one team has, you add them together," Miller explained.  
  
Nigel nodded, understanding but still confused. "How many points does second place get?"  
  
"Second place gets six..." Realizing that he was going to keep answering similar questions Nick continued, "Fourth takes three,  
fifth gets two, and sixth is the last place to get any points and that driver only gets one."  
  
"So only six places out of twenty four get any points?"  
Nigel was trying to clarify what he'd been told.  
  
"That's right," Miller nodded.  
  
"This Formula One scoring business is bloody difficult," Winthrop complained.  
  
Nick laughed. "You think it's bad now? They used to do it the other way around...like golf."  
  
"What fun," Nigel said primly.  
  
The weeks flew past. Haruka was finding it a comfort to have someone like Nick on the team. He knew his stuff and was all business on the track, yet when the race was over he would revert back to his usual genial self. He had a wry wit, a good sense of humor and the ability to diffuse a tense situation with a well-placed comment. He also deflected much of the press attention,  
for which Haruka was truly grateful. Sadly, he wouldn't be much help when Haruka got back to Japan. She could see the headline now:  
"Aino Minako snares Formula One racer Tenoh Haruka!" Michiru would probably just laugh.  
  
Haruka walked into the air conditioned building and headed for the water fountain. She caught a few swallows of tepid water before gathering some in the palm of her hand and further drenching her already sweat soaked hair. They had been testing most of the day. Combing at her golden locks with her fingers, she plopped down in the crew's makeshift breakroom. She saw a stack of motor racing magazines on the table and decided to catch up on a little reading. As she thumbed through one she saw that Nick had given an interview to a British Formula One magazine. Haruka folded the page back and read with interest:  
  
F1 Magazine: "So how does it feel to be driving in Formula One?"  
  
Nick Miller: "Well, for one thing, the car is so responsive it took me a little while to get used to that sort of performance. I know I'm very fortunate because I've heard other guys griping about the reliability but so far Vinyri has had great luck with our cars."  
  
F1: "I understand you recently broke up with your fiancée. Do you think that affected your driving?"  
  
NM: "Well, I wouldn't say it has affected my abilities.  
It was an emotional blow, of course. I don't think she was prepared for how long I would be away from her and in the end she just decided it was time to move on."  
  
F1: "I know it's difficult in Formula One where you are always being judged against your teammate, but you and Tenoh seem to have a different sort of relationship than most."  
  
NM: "Yes, well, different is good. On the Formula Three team, I had a lot of trouble with my teammate. We didn't get along and when my career really started taking off, our working relationship deteriorated and, in the end, I think that hurt the team more than anything. I really didn't want that to happen here"  
  
F1: "But it must be hard especially since you two are both working toward the same goal, to one day be world champion."  
  
NM: "On the track it's one thing, but I think when you are on the same team you need to be able to function as a team and a person can never have too many friends."  
  
F1: "With so much attention on your teammate don't you worry that your own career may be in jeopardy?"  
  
NM: "Well, I have already scored points and Haruka has scored...a lot of points. But I think if you compare my performance to the other drivers on the circuit you'll find that I have really delivered an exceptional performance."  
  
F1: "Indeed you have. So do you think there is a World Championship in your future?"  
  
NM: {He shifts in his chair, blue eyes sparkling mischievously}"Yes, of course, because at Vinyri we've already discovered the secret."  
  
F1: "Oh? And what's that?"  
  
NM: "Wear red."  
  
F1: "And this author has to admit ...he may be right."  
  
Haruka chuckled to herself and sat back in the chair. She could hear the cry of Nick's engine as he pressed around the track. The thin walls of the building did nothing to block out the whine. She knew that, despite his cheerful assertions, he was concerned about his future. After all, every F1 driver is judged relentlessly and sometimes unfairly against his teammate. The reason being that, in theory, each driver has the exact same car and access to the same training facilities.  
There should, in theory, be absolutely no reason for his teammate to consistently out qualify him. She knew that right now Nick was pushing himself harder to try to compete on her level. She rose and stepped outside into the weakening daylight.  
A young technician stood, silently watching Nick's progress on the monitor, while other workers buzzed around, gathering data and putting it into the computer.  
  
Haruka walked up to the technician and motioned for him to give her the headphones. He paused in surprise before handing them over. Haruka slid them on and adjusted the mouthpiece. She watched in silence as Nick completed one full lap. She noted the sounds of the car and the responses it gave to Nick's movements. As he approached the first corner, she spoke softly over the headset.  
  
"Easy on the brake, don't fight it. Ease into it."  
  
There was silence for a moment, leading Haruka to believe that Nick's pride had gotten the better of him. If so, she was perfectly willing to go take a nice hot bath.  
Then she heard the slight change of rhythm in the car as Nick guided the car just across the optimum line for taking the turn. By the time he was three quarters of the way round again, he'd shaved a considerable amount of time off his earlier laps.  
  
Two weeks later at Imola, Haruka was pacing in the Vinyri motor home. This last month had been hard to take with not much time for relaxation, no home, and, most notably,  
no Michiru. As though the usual problems of racing life were not enough, Haruka was having a monthly crisis also. 'At least, my uniform is red," Haruka thought darkly. She tried to ignore the gnawing in her stomach. The meal her nutritionist had cooked up for her hadn't been substantial enough to fill the void. The blonde could either ignore the annoyance, simply not allowing it to affect her performance by force of will, or do something about it.  
With a growl of exasperation, Haruka went to the tiny kitchen area and started searching.  
  
There was freshly brewed coffee, that was definitely off limits, some crackers, and a box of cake mix. Haruka picked up the box. She remembered that it was someone's birthday soon and there was going to be a little party later. Of course, where there was cake there was generally... Haruka opened the door of the little refrigerator - 'Aha!'  
  
Up in the announcer's booth, Jim and Bob sat looking at the monitors of the live feed.  
  
"We are certainly all looking forward to today's race here at Imola."  
  
"This race track is known for being a staunchly loyal Ferrari track. We can see Michael Schumacher doing some last minute consulting with his technical director, Ross Brawn. Here comes a nice pass down the paddock and there is rookie driver Haruka Tenoh. Tenoh has been unbelievably successful this year.  
He won his maiden Grand Prix in Australia and then followed that up with another victory in Malaysia and, finally, taking second last week in Brazil..."  
  
"What is he eating there?"  
  
"What? Oh, I guess that's...some sort of protein mash? I don't know. He has a canister and a spoon. Here comes his teammate, Nick Miller. He's taking a finger swipe out of there too. What is that?"  
  
"Um...well, sources are telling us that it's chocolate frosting."  
  
"Is that a big part of a Formula One racer's diet, Jim?"  
  
"No, no it isn't. I can't imagine why they would be eating something like icing before a race, but it appears that they are doing it."  
  
"Could it be some sort of publicity stunt?"  
  
"I don't be."  
  
Haruka tossed the empty container in a trash can just inside the garage. Nick trailed after her still licking the last traces of icing from his fingers. Yamura gave both his drivers a disapproving look before going back to work overseeing the last minute checks on the cars. Haruka stretched, feeling much better after her snack. Now she was definitely ready for the coming race.  
  
Nick finished seventh after his tires started loosing adhesion, allowing Eddie Irvine and Olivier Panis to weave past him. However, his teammate managed, once again, to foil Michael Schumacher's dreams of first place. From the garage,  
Garvey watched Haruka heft her trophy high in the air. He grinned around his cigar and clapped along with the rest of the team. One of his aides came up behind him.  
  
"Excuse me, Mr. Garvey, but you have an urgent telephone call."  
  
His focus more on his winning team than anything else,  
Garvey gruffly demanded, "Who is it?"  
  
"The corporate offices of Betty Crocker, sir," the aide replied. Garvey blinked and took the receiver.  
  
"Garvey here." He listened for a moment then a smile spread across his face. "Why, yes, I think we can find a space for your advertisement on the car somewhere..."  
  
Two weeks later, in Brazil, Haruka slid into her seat,  
attached her steering wheel, and buckled herself in securely.  
She made a point to ignore the flashes of the cameras as news hungry reporters tried to snatch a last picture before the start of the race. She ignored them and prepared herself to do what she did best - go mind numbingly fast.  
  
The beginning of the race passed without incident. The Mercedes were very quick today. Haruka was running behind David Coulthard. Michael Schumacher was lurking in the background trying to find an opening to sneak by, but Haruka and Coulthard were effectively keeping him behind them.  
  
In addition to their radios, drivers receive vital information via signs with bright yellow lettering that are held out for them. Generally, these signs help remind drivers of pit stops. As Haruka came up near the pit lane, she saw such a sign stating that she was wanted in the pit lane. With only a split second to decide, Haruka swung over, allowing Schumacher the slot he had been seeking.  
  
Haruka moved into the pit lane, but as she approached she could see Miller already there. Someone had made a very bad mistake. It was obvious that they wanted Nick, not Haruka. She muttered curses to herself as precious seconds ticked away.  
Finally, Nick was out and moving back onto the track. Haruka slid into the vacated spot and waited even longer as her car was refueled and had its tires changed.  
  
"Look, it's Schumacher barreling down the straight-away and Tenoh is hot on his heels."  
  
Schumacher caught up with his teammate. Haruka was a heartbeat behind.  
  
"Well, it looks like Tenoh is locked in behind Schumacher and Barichello. They certainly aren't going to give him the chance to get by."  
  
"That's right, Jim. It looks like the other Ferrari team is not going to let Tenoh through. Let's cut to Coulthard who's in first place right now."  
  
At that moment, the three drivers arrived at the second to last turn. Barichello was ordered to let Schumacher,  
the reigning world champion, pass him and take the third place position. As the second Ferrari slid in front of the first, there was a three-second window of opportunity and Haruka took it,  
slaloming between the two cars at 210 mph..  
  
"Wait, wait, he's going for it!! Tenoh has just shot in front of Schumacher and Barichello! Oh man!" The camera flickered and went back to the excitement.  
  
Haruka zipped down the track sliding up behind her teammate who was second. Miller saw the red blur and tensed,  
thinking it was Schumacher. Then his radio crackled and Nick heard the terse order in his ear, "Slow down and let Tenoh pass you."  
  
Miller swallowed hard. He understood. Tenoh had more overall points and a better shot at the World Champion title. On top of all that, he was also the more popular racer. Sometimes a driver had to sacrifice position to further his teammate's quest for the championship. He eased off the gas pedal slightly. To Nick's surprise, Tenoh didn't move to pass, instead staying behind him.  
Miller reaccelerated and Tenoh kept pace with him. Suddenly, he saw the other car swing out. 'Well, this is it,' he thought, but the car stayed back. He would later learn that Tenoh had moved to block Schumacher's attempt to pass. Nick shot across the finish in second place with Haruka a tenth of a second behind him to take third.  
  
After the award ceremony, meeting the press and being doused with champagneby a jubilant Coulthard, the team went back to the garage. Joe Garvey was standing there, red with rage.  
  
"Tenoh, when I tell you to pass someone, you damn well better pass them!" he roared.  
  
Arms crossed looking completely unconcerned, Haruka leaned against the wall. Nick couldn't see her eyes, but he could imagine their dispassionate gaze. The blonde racer stood silent and relaxed.  
  
"Yamura!" Garvey yelled, turning his fury on the Japanese mechanic.  
  
The older man's usually warm eyes iced as he regarded the owner. "Haruka does not take what is not earned," he snapped.  
  
"Oh yeah, well maybe I need to find a driver who will!"  
  
"Do what you have to do," Haruka replied calmly. She pushed off the wall and deftly collected her duffel bag. The racer walked out of the garage into the sunlight with her bag tossed casually over her shoulder.  
  
The next couple of weeks, Nick went through the motions of the regular interviews, testing, and parties. He worked a several days with the mechanics and engineers to correct a slight braking problem with the car. No one could find Haruka. The driver didn't show up for any appointments. Garvey was incensed. Winthrop was understandably nervous. Yamura maintained a stoic silence as he worked on the cars.  
  
The day to qualify for the race in Barcelona came and still there was no sign of Haruka. Nick noticed that Yamura had rolled both of the cars off the trailer. Nick took a few breaths and focused.  
Then he headed for his car. He could see Garvey in the stands biting at what was left of his nails. The man was sweating bullets. He had two cars, tremendous sponsor obligations, and his only driver in the running for the world championship was nowhere to be found. Tenoh had certainly taken the wind out of the man's sails. Nick chuckled as his slid his helmet over his Nomex hood.  
  
At approximately five minutes until qualifying time, Haruka walked onto the track, fully suited up. Sliding into her car, she promptly set the fastest qualifying time and a new track record.  
The following day no one could touch her. She came in first a full four seconds ahead of the second place car. There was no more talk of finding another driver.  
  
Nick secured fifth place, coming in after Barichello. He slid out of his car and headed for the awards placement. His teammate had a rather gleeful look in her eyes as she sprayed down M. Schumacher and Coulthard with champagne. The other two joined together and returned the favor, with rather vengeful looks in their eyes. A drenched and smiling Haruka made her way to the press conferences.  
  
"Haruka, you weren't present for Friday or Saturday practice, but you came out here and ran a magnificent race today.  
How do you feel that your unfamiliarity with the course affected your performance?"  
  
Haruka took a sip of her sports drink.  
  
"Well, I certainly think I would have benefited from the practice sessions. However, since I wasn't as familiar with the course, it forced me to be more alert and on guard. In the end, I was able to really outperform everyone else."  
  
"Thank you, Haruka. Now, Michael, you've been plagued with some electrical problems this season. How do you think this has affected your performance?"  
  
"Well, as you know we've had some problems with the car..."  
  
After the interviews, as Schumacher, Coulthard and Haruka were stepping down from the press table, Michael conversationally asked, "It was nice what you did for your teammate, but what if you lose the championship by two points?"  
  
Haruka was quiet for a moment. "Well then, I suppose I will have to congratulate you on your third place standing." She grinned unrepentantly at the other driver.  
  
David Coulthard choked on his water, but his laughter was still apparent. "I like the way you think, Tenoh." He turned and walked into a crowd of people, heading back to the McLaren-Mercedes motorhome.  
  
Rubens Barichello and Nick Miller heard the exchange from where they were leaning against the wall talking. Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw Rubens cover his mouth to hide a smile in response to the scene. Michael tossed an irritated look at David's retreating form. Haruka decided she had better hurry to the next round of press obligations if she wanted to fit in a bath before she had to be god knows where for dinner.  
  
Some time later Nick went back to his hotel room.  
He stopped and knocked at the door next to his own, Haruka's room. Hearing a sound and thinking Haruka had called to him to come in, he turned the knob. The lock hadn't caught, so it swung open easily. He walked in just as a white robe slid up over strong, sculpted shoulders. Haruka was facing away from him, but turned at the sound of Miller's entry. Nick found himself pinned by an intense gaze.  
  
Nick had wanted to thank Tenoh for putting his ass on the line and allowing Nick to keep his second place.  
"Thanks, man."  
  
Haruka slowly inclined her head. "It was nothing.  
We're teammates."  
  
Nick smiled. With the thanks out of the way, he searched for something else to say. "Well, I'm going to go shower now and then hit the hay. I guess this is goodnight,  
Tenoh."  
  
Haruka watched the American leave then let out a breath and fell back on her bed. That had been close; if he had been a second or two earlier, he would have gotten an eyeful. Haruka suddenly remembered Nick's breakup with his girlfriend. Nick and his ex-girlfriend. She swallowed. The track had come between a lot of couples. She guiltily realized that she hadn't called home lately. Decisively, she rolled over and picked up the phone, dialing the familiar numbers. She heard the purr of the ringer.  
  
"Moshi moshi."  
  
"Hime-chan?"  
  
"Hai! Haruka-papa, we watched your race last Sunday. It was great!"  
  
Her daughter's enthusiasm made Haruka smile.  
"Arrigatou. How's school?"  
  
Hotaru growled into the phone.  
  
"Oh, that much fun, eh?" Haruka teased. She had missed her daughter. "Is your Michiru-mama there?"  
  
"No, you just missed her."  
  
"Ah." Haruka felt a weight settle in her chest.  
  
"Do you want me to ask her to call you?"  
  
"No, that's ok. I'll call back later."  
  
"Ok. I love you, Papa! Ganbatte!"  
  
"Arrigatou, Hime-chan"  
END OF CHAPTER THREE 


	4. Part 4

F1 Part Four Revised by Saun Rated: PG-13 Haruka and Michiru Disclaimer: Sailor Moon & Company, Ferrari, Michael Schumacher,  
Rubens Barichello, BMW, McLaren Mercedes, Bernie Ecclestone,  
Jean Todt, Ross Brawn, Formula One Magazine and all other persons and institutions associated with the FIA do not belong to me. I just borrowed them for a bit. ¬.¬ Please don't sue me.  
  
While walking off the track in Montreal on Friday, Miller noticed a woman standing alone. She was slight with lovely curves.  
She was wearing a white linen skirt and matching jacket with a wide brimmed white hat. Her eyes were veiled by dark sunglasses. Nick noted that she wore expensive looking white leather pumps on her dainty feet. As he and Tenoh Approached her, Nick heard a melodic voice caress his eardrums.  
  
"Excuse me, Tenoh-san?" Haruka stopped dead in her tracks. Nick paused beside his teammate as the lovely lady completed her request.  
"Would you be a model for my painting?"  
  
Tenoh gave a half smile then shrugged.  
  
"Pass! I don't like that kind of thing."  
  
Nick saw that although Haruka said one thing, his teammate immediately went to the woman and embraced her. The hat was knocked off and loosely pinned aqua curls spilled over the woman's back. The couple didn't notice as they continued to hold each other close.  
  
Nick suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if he were an intruder watching a very private act. For the two before him, the act of hugging seemed just as intimate and emotion filled as a passionate kiss would seem with others.  
  
'So this is Tenoh's girlfriend,' Nick thought. 'What was her name? Michiri? No?' Well, he did know that she was an artist. He looked up at a fluffy cloud overhead. He, who made split second life or death decisions every time he raced, was at a loss as to what to do now. Should he keep on walking or just pretend not to notice? Fortunately, the question was answered for him as Haruka and Michiru slid reluctantly apart, but Haruka kept a possessive arm around Michiru's waist.  
  
"Nick Miller, this is Kaioh Michiru," Haruka introduced before releasing her girlfriend just long enough to pick up her fallen hat.  
"A pleasure to meet you Miller-san," Michiru smiled warmly.  
Nick found an answering smile coming to his lips.  
  
"It is a pleasure to meet you also, Mituru?" Miller swallowed hard and hoped he wasn't botching the pronunciation of her name. He didn't want to offend his teammate's girlfriend. If he did, after she left, Haruka would probably beat him to a pulp. Nick extended his hand and Michiru politely took it.  
  
'My God, she's beautiful!' Nick's mind reeled. He saw Haruka's dark look and quickly let go of Michiru.  
  
"Are you going to go to the party tonight," he asked.  
  
"No," the reply was firm.  
  
He decided to tease Haruka. "But what about our dinner plans,  
Haruka, dear?" he called after the couple.  
  
His teammate turned around and shot him a dirty look. He heard Michiru giggle and Haruka mutter something, indicating Nick with a toss of her blonde head. Nick smiled, pleased with himself,  
and went to go ask Yamura what 'baka' meant.  
  
Haruka smiled at her lover. It had really been too long.  
  
"Do you want to go out for dinner?" Michiru asked, taking Haruka's hand and squeezing it.  
  
"I'm really not hungry," Haruka said quietly. In truth, the blonde really didn't want to lose any of the all too short time she had with her mate.  
  
When they reached Haruka's hotel room, the blonde went to change out of her track outfit. While searching for clean clothes, she noticed that Michiru had disappeared. The blonde found her lover in the bathroom, already dressed in a white robe and running heated water into the bathtub.  
  
Haruka slid into the warm water and leaned her head back against the edge of the tub. She could easily go to sleep right here.  
Michiru smiled at her lover. The violinist also had massage oil in her carry on bag and planned to make good use of it.  
  
She went to get a glass of water for Haruka. When she came back, she perched herself on the edge of the tub. Haruka's face was now flushed from the warmth rising from the water. Michiru couldn't resist running a hand through her unruly blonde hair. Haruka opened her eyes and smiled.  
  
"Aren't you going to join me?"  
  
"No, this is your time," the violinist whispered.  
  
"I've missed you, Michiru." Haruka took her lover's hand and tugged lightly.  
  
The other woman smiled and leaned in placing a kiss at Haruka's temple. When she stepped back, she slid her robe off and joined her partner in the tub. Haruka pulled Michiru back against her and leaned forward smelling the familiar fragrance of Michiru's hair. Haruka felt her cares slipping away as she held the person she loved more than life itself, just holding Michiru was heaven. The aqua head tilted back and rested on Haruka's strong shoulder. Around them the candles that Michiru had lit released a soothing fragrance and their soft light reflected off the water. They were enveloped in a warm, dark cocoon. The muted sloshing of water lapping the sides of the bath were the only sounds that penetrated their loving sanctuary. Haruka felt that she could die of contentment right there in the tub. She hoped Michiru had no plans to move in the near future. Eventually, though much too soon for her taste,  
Haruka felt Michiru wriggle free from her embrace and get out of the tub.  
  
"Come on, Haruka, before you turn into a giant prune," Michiru teased, drying herself.  
  
"Too late," came the weak answer.  
  
The violinist laughed. "Get out and come into the bedroom, so I can give you a massage."  
  
The aqua haired woman heard a resigned groan and muted sloshing.  
  
"Just let me wash my hair."  
  
"It's getting a bit long, koi."  
  
"I know. I'll have to get it cut soon."  
  
"Do you want..." Michiru was cut off by the sound of water running so instead she went to the small kitchenette to warm up the oil.  
  
A few minutes later, wrapped in a towel, Haruka wandered from the bathroom. Michiru had laid a dry towel on Haruka's usual side of the bed.  
  
"Come on." Her lover patted the bed. Haruka dropped her towel and lay down on her stomach, resting her chin on her folded arms. She felt the first droplets of warm oil fall on her back and purred with pleasure. A second later Michiru's strong hands were working the knot from Haruka's lower back.  
  
"I was asking you, before, if you'd like me to cut your hair while I'm here," Michiru asked again.  
  
The blonde grunted as Michiru worked her way up to Haruka's strong neck. "Yeah, that'd be great." The hands slid back down over tan flanks, just brushing the undersides of Haruka's breasts. From there Michiru skipped down to her lover's legs, sending pleasurable tingles to the racer's brain.  
  
'Maybe when Michiru finished with the massage we could...'  
  
Michiru knew the exact moment that Haruka fell asleep; the blonde's breathing became deep and even. Michiru's heart ached as she stared at the lean form of her lover. She missed not having her mate at home, but she knew that Haruka was fulfilling her lifelong dream. Michiru decided to read while she waited for Haruka to awaken from her nap.  
Eventually, her stomach began to rumble and she decided to cook something for the two of them.  
  
She checked the refrigerator, which was basically bare. Michiru shook her head in disbelief. Oh well, Haruka never had been much for grocery shopping. She found rice and a few packs of sardines, not a feast, but Michiru could make something delicious for just the two of them. She got started so dinner would be ready by the time Haruka awoke.  
  
The violinist was just puting the finishing touches on the meal when,  
Haruka padded lazily into the kitchenette and sniffed the air.  
  
"What are you making?"  
  
"Oh, with so many choices it was hard for me to decide." Michiru winked at her lover. Haruka blushed slightly and moved to set the table for the two of them.  
  
Michiru set the sardine and rice bowl in front of Haruka and gently lifted her own chopsticks. They ate in comfortable silence. Haruka enjoyed having Michiru's cooking again. Generally, when she was on the road, she had to eat whatever her nutritionist deemed suitable. Often that was low calorie, high carbohydrate pasta. It was good to have something familiar for a change. As they cleared up the dishes, Haruka couldn't resist pulling Michiru back against her.  
  
"How long are you staying."  
  
"I'll stay until the race is over on Sunday. Then I have a concert in Texas. I wish I could stay longer," the violinist said wistfully.  
  
"Me too," Haruka whispered before catching her lover's hand and leading her back to the bed.  
  
Early the next morning, Haruka left to get a rose which she left on her pillow for her sleeping lover to find. She also left a note with a phone number for Michiru to call so she could get a ride to the track. Haruka couldn't stop herself from sitting back down on the edge of the bed and watching her lover's beautiful profile as the woman slept. It had been almost two months since they had last seen each other. Haruka remembered all the times she had taken quiet moments like this for granted. Inside she promised herself that she would definitely make an effort to spend more time with her family. With a resigned sigh she grabbed her cap and headed for the track.  
  
By noon the track temperature had risen sharply. Haruka could feel sweat trickling down her back. She took a bottle of water and gulped it down appreciatively, a few stray droplet running down her strong throat. She looked up and locked eyes with her beautiful partner, who stood in the doorway of the Vinyri motor home. Haruka walked to the stairs and extended her hand, which Michiru accepted. Haruka was pulling her lover down for a warm kiss when Yamura stepped out. Haruka fell back suddenly. It was like being caught by a parent. This was something new for Haruka because she'd never had to worry about anything like that with Michiru before.  
  
"Ah, Michiru-chan, there you are. I have someone for you to meet!  
Haruka-chan? What are you doing down there. You can't entertain a lady like that. Go take a shower." Yamura was in rare form.  
  
"Hai, sensei," Haruka said meekly. She could think of several times when she had entertained the lady just fine being this sweaty, but that had been in the privacy of their bedroom. Haruka caught sight of Michiru's amused smile and knew that her lover was enjoying seeing Haruka so discomfited. She reluctantly left Michiru to catch a cool shower.  
  
When Haruka returned refreshed and dressed in street clothes she found Michiru in the dining area of the motor home. Retired F1 driver, Jean Alesi's wife Kumiko was visiting the paddock and she and Michiru were engaged in a lively conversation. When Michiru caught sight of Haruka, her eyes lit up. She excused herself from her new friend and Yamura, making her way quickly to her mate. When she was close enough she slid her arm through the crook of Haruka's and they walked to the parking lot together.  
  
"What do you want for lunch?" Haruka asked as the unlocked the doors to the rental car.  
  
Michiru considered the question. "What do you feel like?"  
  
"I don't care, as long as I can be with you," Haruka said with an indulgent smile as she pulled out of the lot.  
  
"I see you're taking the easy way out," Michiru said giving her mate a sideways glance.  
  
Haruka couldn't surpress a chuckle at her lover's accurate insight.  
She was so happy to actually be near the one person in the world who truly understood her. After months of mostly being around people who concentrated on appearances, it was wonderful to have her soul mate here with whom to share her thoughts.  
  
"Ok, I heard about a great sushi bar. It's called Katsura," Michiru said matter of factly.  
  
"Do you know how to get there?" Haruka asked.  
  
"Well, I can certainly call and find out." Michiru pulled her cel phone from the little backpack purse she carried and made a few calls.  
  
Haruka was really quite pleased with Michiru's choice. She missed Japan and this was a small way to reconnect with her homeland.  
  
They located the restaurant and had a fantastic meal of sashimi and five flavor noodles. Haruka really stuffed herself and enjoyed every second. She looked up and found Michiru watching her with an intensely heated gaze.  
  
"Pay for lunch and let's go back to the hotel," Michiru breathed.  
  
The aqua haired artist leaned into her lover. Haruka pulled out her wallet and slipped the card out quickly, pressing it into the little credit card holder. "Remind me again why we have a Platinum Hello Kitty Visa," the blonde muttered.  
  
Michiru chuckled "Because we love our Hotaru-chan." She kissed Haruka on the cheek then suddenly took her lover's hand and squeezed.  
Haruka looked up surprised and then followed Michiru's gaze to a girl just a little bit older than Hotaru-chan. The young lady was holding a tablet and pen and looking shyly at the couple.  
  
Michiru smiled warmly and whispered in Japanese, "I think she wants your autograph, Haruka."  
  
"Um, ok sure." Haruka smiled warmly at the girl and took the offered Tarepanda pen. "So who do I make it out to?"  
  
"Err... Kat," the girl said and blushed.  
  
Haruka quickly signed the girl's book in bold strokes, "To Kat,  
Tenoh Haruka."  
  
Michiru reached a slender hand over and took the pen from Haruka.  
In a few seconds she had drawn a perfect replica of Haruka's car complete with Haruka's number 27 on the front.  
  
"There." Michiru smiled pleased with her handiwork. She gave the pad back to Haruka, who passed it back to Kat. The girl hugged the book tightly.  
  
"Good luck," she called.  
  
"Arrigatou," Haruka acknowledged with a smile.  
  
Monday came too soon for Haruka. Despite her impressive victory the day before, she woke up that morning with a knot in the pit of her stomach and an ache in her chest. Michiru lay beside her, breathing softly. The blonde knew that in a few hours Michiru would be on a plane heading to Texas for a concert in Dallas, while Haruka herself would be on her way to Germany to compete in the Nurburgring, European Grand Prix.  
  
A slight shifting beside her alerted her that her lover was awake.  
Michiru snuggled closer and rested her head on Haruka's shoulder.  
  
"I wish you didn't have to go," Haruka said quietly.  
  
"I know, koi, but I have a concert then an art show." Michiru kissed Haruka's arm.  
  
"I love you, Michiru," Haruka said after a pause.  
  
"I know, I love you too."  
  
All too soon, they stood hugging at the airport. They clung to each other reluctant to let go even for a moment, but then they heard Michiru's flight number called. They drew back, saying nothing in words but letting their eyes communicate for them. On impulse Haruka leaned down and engaged Michiru in a sweet, hot kiss that was full of promise for the next time they were together. Michiru picked up her carry on bag with one hand but held on to Haruka's hand with the other. When she was ready, they hugged once more.  
Michiru walked slowly away until just their finger tips touched and then she was gone. Haruka went back to the hotel and gathered up her own things.  
She left in a hurry because suddenly the room seemed unbearably empty.  
  
At Hockenheim a month later, a man in street clothes sidled up next to Haruka as she was watching over her car. He may have thought he was being unobtrusive, but thanks to her excellent peripheral vision she was able to follow his progress easily. She turned and faced him just as he reached her and his eyes widened a bit in surprise.  
  
"Um, here." He thrust a small folded piece of paper into her hand.  
  
Haruka assumed that he wanted an autograph, but when she glanced up the man was already walking hurriedly away. Haruka flicked the note open and read it quickly. Lost in thought, she crumbled it into a ball.  
A summons to the Ferrari paddock. There could be only one reason for that.  
Haruka threw the note toward a trash container, making the shot without even looking. Well, they would have to find someone else to play second fiddle to Michael Schumacher because she wasn't interested. She headed to the back where she saw Yamura tiredly rubbing at his eyes and Wagner the technical director looking equally grim. Behind her a loud voice suddenly rang out.  
  
"Don't you have an appointment to keep." Haruka turned around to face Garvey. He knew. Her eyes narrowed and she started to tell him what she thought of the whole mess, when she heard a quiet voice behind her.  
  
"They've threatened to cut off our engine supply." Yamura was looking at her steadily. "Without the engines the car is nothing." He lifted his hands in defeat, his eyes pleading. Haruka swallowed. She loved this man like a father and he was advising her to go to Ferrari because he wanted her to have the best opportunity for her future. Anger filled her; how dare they make her choose between them and her team.  
  
Several people looked up as the blonde in the new, red team jersey cut through the other garages. She strode purposefully through the swarm of mechanics in Ferrari livery. In the back of the garage was the original Formula One dream team: the Ferrari team boss, technical director, and the number one driver - Jean Todt, Ross Brawn, and Michael Schumacher.  
  
"Ah, there you are. We were afraid you might not show up."  
Everyone laughed, exchanging looks. They were certain no driver in his right mind would pass up a meeting like this.  
  
"I didn't want to," Haruka said coldly. The laughing stopped.  
Haruka noticed Michael in the corner. He wasn't doing anything; he was just watching her, his face impassive. She was reasonably sure he didn't want her driving for Ferrari either. They were a lot alike... driven.  
  
"Now, Haruka," Todt began placatingly. "Vinyri can't offer you half of the opportunities Ferrari can."  
  
"What about Barichello?" Haruka noticed that the number two driver wasn't anywhere to be seen.  
  
"Rubens will be well taken care of. Now, you were a test driver for us once and we'd like for you to drive for us again. Your contract is open. We can make this worth your while."  
  
"I don't think so," Haruka stated coolly. Michael had pushed off the wall and moved closer. He still wasn't saying anything.  
  
The other members of the team were starting to get angry.  
"Ok, now look, Tenoh..."  
  
"Gentlemen." A man with white hair stepped into the paddock.  
  
"Bernie. What brings you here?" Todt seemed surprised.  
  
"Why these gentlemen, of course." Ecclestone put an arm around Haruka and the other around Michael and clapped the two drivers on the back. "Such great races we've had lately. These two have really put the fun and spectacle back into the sport. We've had more people tuning in to watch than ever before. Everyone is talking about the great Ferrari -  
Vinyri rivalry. We're even gaining an audience in the United States and we all know how hard it is to keep Americans interested. I wouldn't want anything to happen to jeopardize the viewership." He smiled at the men in front of him.  
  
"Um, Bernie, we..." Todt started.  
  
"Ah, Jean, Ferrari's been doing a wonderful job this year. I'd hate to see them lose any steam next year due to something unforeseen like, God forbid... disqualifications or the like."  
  
"No, we wouldn't either," Todt confessed weakly.  
  
"Good, good." Ecclestone gave Haruka and Michael a parting pat on the back and left.  
  
Everyone in Formula One looks ahead to the future, but Bernie looks far ahead. Michael was 34 and the sun was setting on his career,  
but Haruka was only 24. It was rumored that Michael would take over as technical director for Ferrari or become a team owner along with his father. When that happened Bernie could see Michael wanting the best and Haruka Tenoh was the best. In fact, Michael had better not retire too soon or all of his hard won records might be in danger.  
  
For a moment no one spoke.  
  
Then Todt sighed. "Go tell Garvey you still have your engines."  
  
The rest of the team wandered back to what they had been doing before. Haruka turned to go.  
  
"Hey, Haruka." Haruka turned back to Schumacher.  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"See you on the track." He was smiling.  
  
Haruka grinned back. "Hai, see you there." She waved. "Ja ne."  
  
End Chapter 4 


	5. Part 5

F1 - Part 5 Revised by Saun Rated:PG Disclaimer: Sailor Moon & Company do not belong to me. I just borrowed them for a bit.  
  
Later that week after intensive testing, Haruka and Nick were all but ordered to attend a birthday gala for one of Garvey's grand nieces. Garvey rented a limousine to take them there. Haruka looked out the window as the car drove through the city. She wondered what Michiru was doing and if Setsuna was making sure Hotaru didn't kick off her covers at night. Nick was in a good mood because he liked people and was looking forward just to getting out of the hotel.  
  
When they got there, they were surrounded by hundreds of giggling schoolgirls. Haruka and Nick signed a lot of autographs. Luckily after some illustrious boy band arrived, the teens forgot about the two handsome racers.  
  
The two bored drivers sequestered themselves in a remote part of the room near the drink table. Except for the occasional autograph hound or flirt they remained undisturbed.  
  
"Check him out." Nick laughed as he nodded at a man with coke bottle glasses at the buffet tables.  
  
Haruka gave a small smile before taking another sip from her drink. "I had to wear glasses once," she confided.  
  
"What?!?" Nick elbowed Haruka. "You? You. Mr. Better than 20/5 vision?"  
  
"I was going through a stressful period." A vision of Galaxia flitted through Haruka's head. "and I strained my vision. It eventually corrected itself."  
  
Nick straightened abruptly, blinking rapidly. "I didn't know you could do that."  
  
Haruka chuckled. Soon a butler came around with a silver tray stacked with pointy party hats.  
  
"Party hat, sir?" he intoned.  
  
Nick stared for a moment and then suddenly came to himself. "Oh.  
Sure." And took a hat.  
  
The butler offered the tray to Haruka. "Party hat, sir?"  
  
Haruka shook her head and the man was about to leave when Nick snagged a second hat off the tray. His light blue eyes lit with mischief.  
He gave a bright smile to his team mate and inched closer.  
  
A slender blonde brow arched.  
  
"Say, Haruka, don't you like party hats?"  
  
"No," she said coolly. Their gazes locked.  
  
He read in those sparking eyes the warning that even if he succeeded in getting that party hat on Haruka, that he wouldn't much like where it would be residing shortly thereafter. Miller knew how to choose his battles so he cleared his throat and stuck the second party hat on his own head, arranging them like ears.  
  
"Well, I like party hats. I also like to juggle." He grabbed three oranges that were garnishing the fruit tray. He was doing quite well keeping them going.  
  
"Oy," Haruka said, staring at her strange teammate.  
  
Then she had an idea; she gathered four more oranges and every couple of minutes she tossed another into the fray. Haruka's aim was perfect, of course, as she'd had a lot of practice tossing lemons to Michiru. By the time Haruka was on her last orange they had quite a little audience. Nick was frantically juggling six oranges. Every time he came close to losing them all the girls would gasp and when he managed to recover they clapped for him. Haruka, of course, still had another orange.  
  
Nick's hands were flying but, apparently, not fast enough because when Haruka tossed the next orange to him he lost control and the oranges flew everywhere. One of the ones that had been in the air caught one of Miller's hats and knocked it askew, while he tried to dodge the others. He really resembled a demented jester as he was scrambling around. The absurdity of the situation hit Haruka and she laughed so hard that tears came to her eyes.  
  
Later that night when she got back to her room, she could hear the laughter in Michiru's voice as well when she told her about their exploits at the party. When she finished, Haruka was quiet for a moment listening to Michiru's familiar giggle and missing her mate.  
  
"It's so sad about Miller-san and his fiancé," Michiru said softly after a time.  
  
"Hai," Haruka agreed.  
  
"He'll find someone," Michiru said thoughtfully.  
  
Haruka smiled. "I'm certainly glad I did."  
  
"Ah," Michiru sighed happily. "Aishiteru, Haruka."  
  
"Aishiteru, Michiru."  
  
Haruka came in third at the Spa circuit, a result she wasn't overly pleased with but tolerated. She and her teammate headed back to the team motor home after the press conference. The two racers attacked the oranges in ice water that Yamura kept around for them after the race. He liked his racers healthy and cooled down. They both gathered four of the sweet, cold fruit apiece and went back outside to eat them.  
  
"Did you ever drive a F1 car before this year?" Nick asked conversationally, working the peel from an orange.  
  
"Hai. I was a test driver for a while after I retired from the junior team." Haruka bit into the first slice and winced as the acid stung her slightly chapped lips.  
  
"Oh really, which team?" Nick muttered around a mouthful of orange.  
  
"Ferrari," she answered nonchalantly.  
  
"Schumacher's Ferrari?"  
  
"Hai, but he wasn't driving for them then." Haruka absorbed herself in licking a errant stream of orange juice from the base of her thumb.  
  
Nick blinked. "Oh." Then he looked suspiciously at his teammate. "You must have been very young. What did you do about school?"  
  
"It's two hours from the track to Tokyo. I had to take a helicopter to make it to school on time," she explained.  
  
"So why didn't you just drive? I imagine you of all people could have made it in time." Nick gave a little smirk.  
  
"Why drive when you can fly?" Haruka said with an easy smile. She looked up and the mirrored lenses of her glasses reflected the sky.  
"Yeah, when I was a kid I wanted to be a fighter pilot for a while,"  
Miller confided.  
  
"What made you give it up?" Haruka couldn't keep the curiosity out of her voice.  
  
"I'm afraid of heights." Nick swallowed.  
  
Haruka stared at him disbelieving for a second then laughed, and deftly dodged the orange peel tossed in her direction.  
  
Monza was the fifteenth race on the calendar. They were back in Italy. Haruka was ahead of Schumacher in the points. Since there were only two more races following this one, if she could come in first in Monza, the World championship would be decided in her favor.  
  
Haruka stood at the edge of the track eyes closed. She was mentally going through every inch of the track in her head when arms wrapped around her waist and held on tightly. Surprised, her eyes flew open and she found herself staring down at a very familiar little dark head.  
  
"Hime-chan?" she asked disbelievingly as if the tiny figure would disappear if disturbed. Mischievous, little violet eyes met her own.  
  
"Surprise, Haruka-papa!"  
  
Haruka swung her daughter up into her arms and balanced her easily on a slender hip.  
  
"You have company!" Wagner shouted gruffly.  
  
The blonde's face lit up when she saw Michiru and Setsuna. The garnet eyed woman was eating an ice cream cone and attracting no little attention from several mechanics who suddenly became very busy when Haruka strode over to her family.  
  
Setsuna quickly swallowed a bite. "Ganbatte, Haruka!" She was just able to get it out before she went after an errant drip of vanilla.  
The senshi of the sea was looking quite pleased with herself and her smiling eyes intercepted Haruka's questioning gaze.  
  
"I was there for your first race, I deserve to be here and see you become World Champion," her lover replied with a wink.  
  
"Oy, I haven't won yet," Haruka groused, a dull blush coloring her cheeks.  
"I have faith in you," Michiru parroted easily.  
  
It was true and Haruka could see it shining in her beautiful mate's eyes.  
Michiru reached out to take Haruka's hand. The blonde felt a lump in her throat and she quickly changed the subject.  
  
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to give this back to you." She gave Hotaru a quick squeeze and reluctantly handed the child over.  
  
Michiru let the little girl slide down until her feet were on the ground. In a flash Hotaru was at Setsuna's side.  
  
"Setsuna-mama can I have some?" Setsuna turned slightly, protecting her ice cream.  
  
"No, you'll ruin your dinner. Why on earth do you want ice cream? You don't even like milk!"  
  
"One-gai." Their child wasn't above whining. When she didn't get her way, her little mouth drew up in a decided pout.  
  
Michiru gave Haruka a pointed look and mouthed, "Someone is tired."  
  
"Hotaru, why don't we go see, Yamura-grandpa." Michiru took her daughter by the shoulders and with an apologetic look to her lover, steered her charge toward the team motor home.  
  
Haruka watched them go with a shake of her head. Turning her attention back to her best friend she smiled wolfishly.  
  
"You're not one to share are you?" she teased.  
  
Setsuna was watching Michiru and Hotaru's progress. "She needs a nap and not more sugar," the family disciplinarian said sternly. "Do you know how many pieces of candy she's been given since we arrived?"  
  
Haruka laughed softly. "Did you guys have any trouble getting in?"  
  
Setsuna shook her head and tapped the laminated track pass she wore around her neck. "You know who has been in contact with your sensei.  
They had this all worked out."  
  
A shout came from the direction of the track "Hey, Tenoh, your tires are getting cold!"  
  
Haruka tossed an exasperated glace over her shoulder. She turned back to Setsuna who was crumpling up the napkin from her just finished ice cream. The blonde smiled at her.  
  
"I have to run." She gave her housemate a quick hug. "I'm so glad you guys are here."  
  
Setsuna gave her a wink. "We wouldn't have missed it for the world."  
  
The young driver slid into the car and buckled the seat belt readying herself for the coming qualifying lap. She eased the car out onto the track from the pit lane and then took off on a preliminary lap, warming up her tires. She had driven hard in the practice sessions and was reasonably sure she knew the maximum speeds at which to take the corners because the faster she came out of a tight turn the better time cushion she could build up in the long run. Besides if everything really went to hell she could simply pull into the pit lane and try again.  
  
Haruka was heading out of the Curva di Lesmo. This time was going to be good; she could feel it. She had just nailed the corner and was preparing for the Parabolica. That was the dangerous final turn where Jochen Rindt had fatally crashed his Lotus in 1970, his lead in the world championship remained unchallenged and he became the first posthumous Champion. Haruka was lost in these sobering thoughts when she heard an urgent voice over her radio.  
  
"De la Rosa just ran into the back of Marques, watch for debris!"  
  
Haruka's eyes were still on the road ahead of her and it quickly became apparent why Pedro de la Rosa hadn't been able to control his car; there was a huge oil slick on the track and when Haruka's brakes tried to slow the car she instead felt herself hit a chunk of wing that still lay in the road.  
  
Haruka spun around. Her senses told her the exact second she had spun 360 and then the young racer gunned her engine hoping to get her car back on course, but the wheel was loose and she spun out. There was a jarring impact on her right side from another car. Instinctively she knew she was going to hit the tire wall. In those brief seconds before impact, she tried to relax all of her muscles to minimize the probability of injury.  
  
The impact was jarring, but the extensive safety precautions of Haruka's car held. Smoke poured out from under the crumpled front end of the car. One of her earpieces had come loose and Haruka could hear distant shouts as people raced to her car fearing the worst.  
  
She ignored them and calmly removed the steering wheel as the worker frantically tugged at the tires that had landed on top of the car when Haruka had plowed into them. Several pairs of hands grabbed at the red jumpsuit and pulled the blonde from the burning car. Haruka finally registered the frantic calls from Yamura in the pits over the roaring of the blood in her ears.  
  
"Somebody get out there and see if Haruka-chan is all right!"  
  
"Are you okay?!!" A well meaning but frantic young man screamed in her face.  
  
Haruka nodded. "Hai, I'm fine. Who hit me?"  
  
"Yoong. But he's ok, it just broke his front wing. He lost steering capability but he was able to brake ok."  
  
"I need to get back to the pit."  
  
Haruka reached for her steering wheel so she could lock it back into place and for the first time she noticed a sharp pain in her right wrist. She pulled her sleeve back and saw that her wrist was starting to turn purple. She caught a ride on the back of a paddock scooter.  
  
"Are you ok?" a mechanic asked. Haruka nodded. Her wrist throbbed in protest.  
  
Michiru, her face white, was next to Haruka in a flash. She was more intuitive than any medic and she automatically reached for her lover's hand, but Haruka pulled back. Their eyes held for a moment in silent communication then Michiru nodded in understanding,  
dropping her eyes.  
  
If Haruka admitted to being hurt, she would most likely be out of tomorrow's race and now was not the time to be losing points. Her personal trainer ran over and took off her helmet, immediately beginning to massage her neck muscles, trying to relax them, making sure her neck wasn't injured. Haruka let out a breath and relaxed,  
but didn't remove her gloves.  
  
Back in her room that evening Haruka flexed her wrist. It hurt but still moved. She didn't think it was broken. Pain still flared up to her elbow when she moved it.  
  
"Can you drive with it like that?" Michiru asked replacing the ice pack she had made earlier with a fresh one.  
  
"Hai," Haruka grunted determinedly.  
  
Michiru watched her mate in silence. She knew Haruka was using a mental exercise called biofeedback for pain control. She just hoped the stubborn blonde didn't do herself a permanent injury.  
  
The racer began to breathe deeply, centering herself and focusing herself past the pain. If she was going to race tomorrow, she needed to master control of her body. Slowly but surely the pain was moved to the back of her mind where she could ignore it. With a deep sigh she crawled into bed beside her concerned lover and drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.  
  
At the race the next day, Schumacher started out in pole position,  
but Haruka was hot on his heels from the start. In fact, he thought she was too close and he sidled over trying to edge her car into the pit wall. He wanted her to ease off the gas and back down.  
Haruka could understand that. Monza was Ferrari's home turf and Michael needed the points from a win to have a prayer of taking the championship over her. However, today Haruka was having none of it. When he again slid over to give her car a push, Haruka gunned the engine moving ahead. Schumacher's front wing connected with her wheel and the two cars swerved dangerously. Haruka felt the steering wheel jerk, but she gritted her teeth and forced the car back on the track. The Ferrari limped along behind her with its mangled nose.  
Schumacher was going to have to pit to get it fixed. Until then Haruka knew she needed to start racking up fast laps. Nick was now behind her, having passed Schumacher, and together the two powerful engines weaved their way around the track.  
  
By mid race Haruka had taken her one pit stop, Schumacher had wriggled around Coulthard to take third, and Nick was guarding Haruka's back, but he still had to pit. As they sailed past the pit lane, Haruka saw her teammate's car vanish from sight and the red Ferrari loom up some distance behind her. Then all hell broke loose in her car. Haruka was trying to down shift when she heard a peculiar grind.  
  
"Exhaust manifold," she affirmed softly.  
  
"What?" Wagner demanded over the headset. Yamura was still busy with Miller's pit stop, which had run over due to a jammed wheel gun.  
  
"I think there's a crack in the exhaust manifold," Haruka said calmly.  
  
"Are you going to come in?" Wagner sighed defeatedly, knowing that there was little they could do for the car in the last half of a race.  
  
"No." The voice was uncompromising.  
  
Haruka began to use every trick she knew to push her car to the limit and to avoid a downshift that would probably leave her stalled on the track. Meanwhile, the red Ferrari crept ever closer. Sweat poured down Haruka's face and her brow furrowed with concentration. A flash of yellow caught her eye and she read that she only had five laps to go.  
Five laps at 200 miles per hour is very quick, but for Haruka they seemed to stretch on forever as the car's performance deteriorated.  
When they entered the last lap, Schumacher was about two tenths of a second behind her. There was silence in the stands; the audience on the edges of their seats as they watched the battle unfolding on the circuit before them. Haruka was aware of a dull throbbing in her wrist and the shuddering of her dying car, but, suddenly, the checkered flag loomed before her. Teal eyes focused on the finish line and ignored the usurper breathing down her neck. Pushing her leather clad foot to the floor, Haruka surged across the finish line and clinched the World Championship in her favor. On the radio she could hear the excited shouts of the guys on the team.  
  
Noise erupted from the grandstands, letting Haruka know that there weren't only Schumacher fans in attendance today. The blonde pulled her car to a stop and slid out. She punched one fist into the air in victory and the crowd went wild. Tenoh Haruka had set her own record as the first rookie to win the championship in their debut season. Not to mention not driving for any of the three strongest teams. Everything was blurred but, suddenly, they were on the podium. Haruka had taken first, Schumacher second, and Barichello had come in third. After the ceremony, Haruka turned and met Schumacher's gaze. They both extended their hands and shook firmly. Haruka could not prevent a wince as her injured wrist protested this last bit of abuse. Luckily, Barichello choose that moment to attack them with champaign allowing her to free her hand quickly. Yet not even the pain and being drenched by two vengeful Ferrari drivers could dampen her joy at having won the World Championship.  
  
She went back toward the garage and a sea of red surged around her.  
Everyone wanted to congratulate her. Haruka grinned unabashedly; she couldn't deny that she was thrilled with the results. Yamura snared her in a bear hug and she clapped him on the back. Garvey was lighting up a special cigar he'd been saving for just such an event.  
  
"What are you doing here? You have to go to the press conference!"  
Garvey demanded, puffing away.  
  
Haruka pulled her glove off and her injured wrist came into view.  
It was an ugly purple color, Haruka noted with detachment.  
"My god," Nick exclaimed coming up behind her.  
  
"Get the medic in here!" Yamura gently took her arm and pulled back the sleeve. "Haruka-chan, when did you do this?"  
  
Haruka wouldn't even consider lying to her sensei. "Yesterday.  
in qualifying."  
  
"And you told no one," Yamura said flatly.  
  
The medic rushed in. "That's nasty looking. We'll need to get it x-rayed, but I can do a quick fix so you can get to the press conference," the guy said. He slapped a thin cold pack on the wrist and then began wrapping it securely with an ace bandage.  
  
The rest of the garage stood shocked into silence at the realization that this injured driver had nursed the maximum performance from a wounded car. It hadn't been a coincidence Vinyri had been winning races from the beginning; this team was witness to the birth of a legend.  
  
Michiru, ever the lady, waited off to the side. She was very casually dressed in khaki shorts and a white T-shirt with "I love Haruka Tenoh"  
emblazoned across the front. Most uncharacteristic was her Vinyri baseball cap and dark sunglasses, but Haruka thought she looked cute.  
  
Nick was standing next to her little family. She could see awe mixed with envy in his eyes before he masked it with a happy go lucky smile.  
  
"Congratulations! I had no idea you had so many fangirls and they're so polite too." The other driver grinned.  
  
Haruka could see Hotaru was bouncing with excitement and Setsuna was keeping a steadying hand on their daughter. It wasn't until the medics left that she finally released her charge.  
  
"Did they let you keep the trophy?" Hotaru wanted to know, rushing over and squeezing her papa.  
  
Haruka realized with a start that she didn't know where her trophy was at the moment. It seemed to her that she had been relieved of it by Garvey's assistant. The glass and metal sculpture was probably on display for the sponsors and Yamura would return it in the morning. She thought briefly about his irritation that she had hidden her injury. She'd be lucky if he didn't whack her over the head with the heavy award.  
  
"Hai, Hime chan. I'll bring it home with me." Haruka was rewarded with her daughter's squeal.  
Michiru watched Hotaru's animated face as she talked to her papa. The strong bond between adoptive father and daughter had always made her happy.  
  
Suddenly Hotaru looked up at her Papa quite seriously and took the blonde's injured hand in her own small one.  
  
"I could have fixed this you know." she said softly.  
  
To Setsuna the myriad of expressions that flit across Haruka's face was almost comical: surprise, guilt, embarrassment, and finally a kind of humble resignation.  
  
"I know, Hime-chan, but that wouldn't have been fair to the other racers." Her voice was full of quiet conviction. With a nod of understanding Hotaru gently returned Haruka's arm to her side.  
  
Michiru's heart nearly exploded with pride at her lover's dedication and sense of sportsmanship. She didn't even notice when Setsuna and Hotaru quietly slipped away to give them some privacy.  
  
"Haruka," she said achingly.  
  
"Hai," Haruka said wearily.  
  
"You look so tired," the violinist observed softly.  
  
"It's been a hard twenty four hours," Haruka delivered the understatement of the year.  
  
"I love you. Congratulations, darling, you deserve it," Michiru said earnestly, drawing her lover into a gentle embrace. The lovely artist was almost choking on emotion as pride and happiness for her lover threatened to overwhelm her. She slid a finger over Haruka's cheek and traced her chiseled upper lip.  
  
The blonde automatically kissed the slender digit.  
  
"Arrigatou. I love you too, Michiru." Haruka's words were a little slurred as she fought the exhaustion and the muscle relaxers they'd given her for her wrist. With her other arm she pulled Michiru closer.  
  
"We have to go back tonight. Hotaru has to be back at school Tuesday.  
When will you be home?" Michiru's voice held a hopeful note.  
  
"Next week, hopefully on Tuesday. I'll have to stay at a hotel near the track though, until after the last race."  
  
"I'll miss you until then." Michiru sighed into the blonde's shoulder.  
  
"I'll be with you soon, love." Haruka assured her, huskily.  
  
Two weeks later as they stepped off the jet in Tokyo, Miller looked around. Haruka was in front of him but slowed as the screaming crowds of young girls came into view. Miller laughed and patted his teammate on the shoulder.  
  
"Welcome home, champ! So this is Japan, huh? Wow, it's beautiful."  
  
Haruka nodded, but said nothing and continued on through the terminal. Nick hurried to catch up with him. "So, Tenoh, do you have anyone meeting you at the airport? What about your folks?"  
  
Haruka's answer was cool. "What about them?"  
  
Nick immediately sensed that this was not a topic for discussion and wisely held his tongue. During the flight Haruka had closed up and his answers had become more terse. He watched as the blonde scanned the crowd and then began heading for a large group of teenagers.  
Nick's eyes opened wide but he followed his teammate toward the two blonde girls who were jumping up and down waving a large sign that said "Welcome home Haruka-san!" The problem was that the girls hadn't synchronized their leaps and so anyone watching the rocking sign was liable to get seasick.  
  
"Konichiwa, my kittens!" Haruka called.  
  
"Haruka-papa! Konnichiwa, Nick-san!" the little dark haired girl shrieked and waved wildly.  
  
"Hime-chan," Haruka said with a smile.  
  
Nick followed Haruka into the fray. When he got closer, he saw Michiru standing next to a dark haired man. She smiled at Tenoh and waved to Nick. The aqua haired woman glided next to Haruka. Nick noticed that there was no display of affection between them. It surprised him. They had been apart for two weeks now and then there had been the accident,  
but the two only smiled. Haruka answered the questions flying from the group, but the whole time the couple never touched.  
  
As they were heading for the parking lot, Nick saw Michiru hand Haruka the keys to the car and, for a moment, a slender well manicured hand slid into a strong one and there was a slight exchange of pressure, before they dropped away. Nick felt immensely relived, for a while he had been worried that Tenoh and his beautiful girlfriend had suffered the same fate as so many other couples on the circuit. Racing was much like the sea, you either loved it or you didn't and if you did, then it had a part of your soul. It was the mistress whose hold over you no woman could break.  
Nick had a feeling that Kaioh Michiru exercised her own hold over Haruka,  
those long aqua tresses shimmering like the waves of the sea itself.  
  
End Part 5  
  
I held this for so long because I wasn't happy with it and in the end I chopped off the end and intend to finish a sixth installment. Hopefully it won't take me so long to finish the next one. I haven't been writing much because I'm having a hard time finding unique ideas/  
Thanks to my editor who edited this. I have had it on my desktop for so long that I forget the specifics but I am sure I gave her fits, but she loves me anyway:-D Thank you so much Kate HUGS 


	6. Part 6

F1 - Part 6 by Saun Rated:PG Disclaimer: Sailor Moon & Company do not belong to me. I just borrowed them for a bit.  
  
Sasaki Kisho, the editor of the Tokyo Sun a well-known tabloid, looked around his office with a great degree of personal satisfaction. There were a few publishing awards, but his most prized possessions were the framed front pages of sensational stories he and his reporters had broken wide open. Who but he had such a qualified team of investigators? Men who could ferret out even the most carefully concealed stories. Sasaki was basking in the warm glow of success when the intercom button on his phone chirped.  
  
"Hai?" he asked, a bit annoyed.  
  
"There are two men here to see you Sasaki-san." His secretary's crisp voice rippled over the line. She would know not to interrupt him unless it was important.  
  
"What is this about?" he demanded.  
  
"They say they have some information on Tenoh Haruka that you might find very interesting."  
  
Sasaki sat back in his overstuffed chair.  
  
"Send them in," he said, his curiosity coming through in his voice.  
  
"Can I have my secretary get you a drink?" Sasaki asked the two men as the filed in.  
  
"No thank you, Sasaki-san," one answered respectfully.  
  
Inside Sasaki was glad. He didn't want to waste any more time on boring pleasantries.  
  
"So gentlemen," he began getting right down to business. "What is it that you've come to tell me?"  
  
Sasaki listened patiently to their story but as they went on he became more and more amused. When the second man finished speaking, Sasaki sat back and let out a deep belly laugh.  
  
"That's preposterous...tell me did Mochizuki-san send you here?" he asked, naming the editor of a rival publication.  
  
The men shook their heads dumbly. Sasaki was aghast. "Do you really expect me to believe that Tenoh Haruka is a ...woman?"  
  
"But she is!" one man exclaimed.  
  
Sasaki shook his head dismissively at the thought. "Do you know how many women have driven in Formula One?"  
  
The men again shook their heads.  
  
"Well only two have ever managed to qualify to drive in a race and between them they scored a point and a half. You expect me to believe that a woman could simply sashay onto the track and take home the world championship her first season?" He glanced from one man to the other. Sasaki was incredulous.  
  
The men before him shifted uncomfortable. They had been so intent on wreaking their long denied vengeance that it hadn't occurred to them that they wouldn't be believed.  
  
Silence reigned for a moment as Sasaki sat with his fingers steepled, his mind deep in thought.  
  
"So tell me..." he began after a time. "Did either of you ever win a motorcross race against Tenoh?" he asked. His eagle-eyed gaze sharpened with sudden insight.  
  
The men exchanged glances and both shook their heads averting their eyes. A frission of excitement coursed down Sasaki's spine. He hadn't thought so. Kisho himself was a great F-1 fan and had avidly followed the career of Japanese Racer Sato Takuma, but then Tenoh Haruka had burst onto the scene. It was hard not to be seduced by greatness.  
  
"Well, gentlemen, I appreciate you coming to see me." He was dismissing them, but they were very ready to leave now. As they trudged sheepishly home they had to admit that Tenoh had humiliated them once again. Also after everything Sasaki had said they weren't really sure that they hadn't been mistaken about the whole man-woman thing from the beginning.  
  
In the office Kisho sat still lost in his own thought. Tenoh Haruka...a woman? Absurd. But then again it would be an explosive story- if it were true. 'But it's not!' Still...he should have it checked out - just to be sure. He buzzed his secretary.  
  
"Have Shiroitachi come up at once. I have an urgent assignment for him."  
  
"Yes Sir."  
  
Nick gave a frustrated sigh. Everything they did here in Japan seemed to be wrong. He had thought with Haruka as the reigning champ that things would go a lot smoother.  
Once again a polite young woman asked him about moving their trailer. He looked around for Yamura. 'Where was that old geezer.' He wondered affectionately. Nothing had prepared him for the little man's rapier sharp sense of humor and his determination. Yamura also was almost always able to get his way. He was in street clothes - a ratty NASCAR T-shirt and jeans. A red headed woman was looking in one of the offices. He caught a glimpse of a little stubborn chin and a fine boned profile before she turned to him.  
  
"May I help you ma'am." He drawled. When she turned to gaze at him with dark green-gray eyes. Nick just stared as she stuck out her hand and greeted him boldly.  
  
"I'm Robyn Copeland."  
  
He noted her accent. 'Australian.' He thought. Nick took her hand in his and shook. Only then did he notice the camera hanging around her neck. "So you're a photographer."  
  
"I prefer photo journalist." She replied evenly.  
  
"Oh." Nick kept being drawn back to her eyes, but he had noticed something strange. "You're not wearing badge."  
  
She looked innocently surprised. "Oh I must have lost it somewhere. I came to see if I could shoot Haruka Tenoh. I suppose it was too much to hope that he'd be here." Her eyes flicked around again a few of the team wandered in.  
  
"He's with his family. They live nearby." Nick answered easily leaning back against a tool chest with his arms folded.  
  
She looked briefly annoyed then nodded her head. "Of course."  
  
Nick could see that she was truly disappointed.  
  
"Well it was a pleasure to meet you." she smiled and then moved to go." Nick slipped in front of her.  
  
"Wait!" she glanced at him sharply. "Don't go. I'll even pose for you!" Nick put on his most charming grin. "How'sh thet?" He asked through gritted teeth.  
  
Robin laughed . "Pictures of you are a dime a dozen. You're what's known affectionately of course, as a 'camera hog.'"  
  
Nick looked crestfallen, but then brightened.  
  
"If I get you to where you can snap Tenoh's picture will you have dinner with me?"  
  
"It depend on the type of shot - how close I can get." Robin tossed her long reddish hair. "If I get close enough maybe I'll end up having dinner with Haruka himself."  
  
"Probably not that close." Nick commented darkly.  
  
Across the city another scene was unfolding.  
  
"Well?" Kisho questioned. Shiroitachi smiled and inclined his head.  
  
"I found no one who could support the claims."  
  
"Parents?" Kisho tossed out.  
  
"I could not track them down." Shiroitachi seemed troubled Kisho looked down for a moment.  
  
"But someone just delivered this to me." He held up a package for his boss' inspection.  
  
"What is it?" Kisho wanted to know.  
  
"Tenoh's school records."  
  
"Let me see."  
  
"Of course. Shiroitachi handed over his find. "If I may be excused, sir. I have a contact who claims that he saw the Three lights in Vegas and that they gave him a car."  
  
Kisho nodded absentmindedly and waved his hand. "Go go." Any news on the missing boy band would sell a lot of magazines. That and he wanted to root through this file in peace.  
  
Shiroitachi scurried away and Kisho tore at the outer envelope of the file. He felt like a kid at Christmas.  
'Hmmm' Kisho looked into the file with interest.  
  
Tenoh had been into fencing, track and field, basketball, and even Judo. He basked in the joy of learning so much about Japan's famous racer, then something caught his eye and instantly his expression took on a grim cast. What was this? He re-read the slip of paper. A quick phone call later and the information was in the hands of one of the most skilled writers. He settled back into his seat with a shot of good sake, the story would be published tomorrow.  
  
The next day was a reception mid morning and then qualifying late afternoon. Haruka was in a red suit with a cap with laurels embroidered on the brim. She was amazed at how many autographs she'd signed already. Several of them had been the cover of a Formula One magazine with a split cover. One side had Michael Schumacher looking unsmilingly over his shoulder at the other picture that was Haruka staring foreword into the distance, looking cool and in control. The cover read "Has Schuey Met His Match?"  
  
She had made nice with the sponsors and now she sought a moment of respite from all of the demands on her.  
  
Nick burst into the Vinyri motor home, the person he was looking for sat, eyes closed, breathing slow and deep, lost in private meditation.  
Nick whapped Haruka lightly with a rolled up newspaper.  
One teal eye opened and she glared up at him. "Nani?" she growled coolly.  
He'd been around long enough to recognize some Japanese so he continued on.  
"The news is all over the circuit. A good thing because I can't read any of this myself!" He waved his arms exaggeratedly then tossed the tabloid into Haruka's lap. His eyes were very serious as he regarded her. Several mechanics and technicians paused to watch the confrontation between the drivers.  
  
"Is it really true?..." Nick's expression was curious. " Were they just kidding or did one day your high school just...blow up!?"  
Haruka was reading the magazine article with interest. The headline read. "Genius racer Tenoh Haruka comes back to win after high school tragedy." The picture underneath was her face superimposed over a pile of reddish rubble.  
'Ah. Mugen Gugen.' That had hardly been a tragedy. Her mouth tightened at the onslaught of unpleasant memories. Almost, but fate had been merciful. None one had been in the building at the time, but she and Michiru had lost all of their scholastic files. New ones had been constructed. Their information was sketchy at best - but that was by design.  
  
"They think perhaps it was built on a fault line." She lied and tossed the paper back to him. Inside she was shaken. Haruka cherished her privacy and someone had been digging pretty hard. She had expected that, but still to see it in print was a bit jarring.  
  
"I have to make a phone call. See you." She excused herself quickly. Haruka snagged her cell phone from the locker she kept it in and dialed Setsuna. There was a terse conversation after which her best friend assured her that everything was fine and she was positive that their privacy had not been compromised.  
  
An hour later Haruka sauntered into the reception quietly. She didn't really want to be there - this was a waste of time. Time much better spent on her laptop working through the data from the last de-briefing. She spotted Nick and Yamura-san chatting quietly and she made her way to them.  
There was a large group of businessmen and dignitaries grouped together off to the side. As soon as she was noticed they went silent and she felt the temperature in the room drop by several degrees. She felt a bit shocked as they ignored her. She hadn't expected them to roll out the red carpet, but she thought she had brought a lot of honor to her homeland.  
Acting as if nothing was wrong, she went to the one person who would know what was going on.  
  
Haruka raised an eyebrow that said 'Who are they and why do they have so much influence?' to her sensei.  
  
"That's the Bridgestone tire company." Yamura explained finishing off his drink. "They are angry with us. They have already begun to cause trouble and there will be more"  
  
Understanding bloomed . Bridgestone tires was one of the most prestigious companies in Japan.  
  
"They have partnered with Ferrari for all of these years and enjoyed all of the perks that come with a winning World Champion. They're not very happy with you Haruka-chan. We have disrupted a very profitable business relationship. Their influence is still very strong" When Nick wasn't looking Yamura took a piece of cheese off of his cocktail napkin and offered it to Haruka. She declined with a soft shake of her head. "No thank you."  
Nick brow furrowed. "I'm really going to miss this during the off time. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself."  
  
"Travel the world?" Haruka smirked slightly.  
  
"Maybe Australia." Nick acknowledged. "What about you."  
  
Haruka shrugged. She fully intended to make up for lost time with her family and Michiru was talking about a vacation, but the blonde enjoyed her privacy and didn't particularly feel like sharing.  
  
"So I guess you'll go back to your garage." Nick commented to their fatherly design master. "With all of the publicity you should have a booming business."  
  
Haruka looked at Yamura thoughtfully. "Will you?"  
  
"No Haruka chan I am going to Bermuda." The little mechanic made a decisive motion with his hand. "It is time for me to take it easy."  
  
"Just don't take it too easy. Vinyri needs you." Nick's light blue eyes were very serious.  
  
Yamuru just gave a small smile.  
  
Later that afternoon, Yamura, Nick and Haruka were watching one of the monitors in the garage as other teams sought to beat Haruka's qualifying time.  
  
"Check out those girls." Nick muttered under his breath as they watched the Mercedes Mclaren girls trot around in sheer grey tank tops and black leather shorts. Everyone had been talking about the new leather look McLaren had this year.  
  
The three stood mesmerized by the sight.  
  
"Those tops almost look like tissue paper." Nick squinted at the screen.  
  
"What do you think they'll do if it rains?"  
  
"Probably change into shirts that say 'Slippery when wet.' Yamura commented dryly.  
  
Haruka had been silent 'til now. "Sensei." her voice held a little catch to it. She liked looking at girls as much as the next guy, but still...  
  
"What, Haruka-chan? I'm old, not dead!" Yamura snapped with a grin to take the sting from his words.  
  
Nick snorted a chuckle and slapped Haruka on the back. "I swear, Tenoh, you are one of the most conservative people I've ever met."  
  
"That's what you think." Yamura shot an amused glance at his protege whose cheekbones were sporting a slightly scarlet hue.  
  
Haruka allowed herself a slow smile "I 'm not going to stay here and take this kind of abuse... I'm going to go out there and get some phone numbers."  
  
"Hai. You can go over there and get a couple for me. Tell them you have a much handsomer older brother and he ....there goes BMW." Yamura broke off his teasing.  
  
"That's not Ralph is it." Haruka wasn't asking, she recognized the driving style as that of the younger Schumacher's Brazilian teammate.  
  
Nick drew himself up and bellowed in a bad Spanish accent "I am Juan Pablo Montoya, I am here to win! Prepare to lose!"  
  
Yamura and Haruka stared at him.  
  
"What?" Nick asked nonplused.  
  
The older mechanic rubbed the bridge of his nose under his glasses "Oy."  
  
"You can't tell me you've never seen The Princess Bride??" He looked at his blonde teammate. "Michiru would love it!"  
  
"I'll look into it" Haruka said with a half smile. She really couldn't remember the last time she'd seen a movie. The few times in the past six months that she and Michiru had found themselves in front of the television it had always ended the same way. Within thirty minutes one partner was fast asleep. So they had decided not to waste their precious time together that way. Before the season she had started to take their moments together for granted, but all of her time away had given her a new perspective. Now she enjoyed those stolen moments with her love because now when they came together it was almost like when they had just become lovers all over again.  
  
Nick shrugged lightly and they went their separate ways.  
  
The afternoon wore on and they were finishing up after the qualifying session was over. Haruka had taken pole. She had considered it a matter of pride. Suzuka was Schumacher's favorite track as well. Well this time he would be starting from behind Haruka. The blonde didn't envy him that. She stepped back inside the garage and ended up eaves dropping.  
  
"He was driving at 14? Isn't that illegal in Japan?"  
  
"We were never pulled over" Yamura shared gleefully. "But I told Haruka-chan if it came to that to tell them the license was from overseas."  
  
There were a few chuckles at that. Most couldn't imagine the cool Tenoh as a green kid of 14.  
  
The man he was talking to shook his head again. "I can't believe it. There's no way I'd let my thirteen year old near my car."  
  
"It wasn't long before it didn't matter because Haruka-chan had received a super license." The little mechanic's eyes lit with fondness as his mind went over those memories.  
  
"So you worked with Tenoh before right?" Manuel, a young software technician, asked his voice holing a tone of awe.  
  
"Yes." Yamura nodded, his eyes misting. "I will never forget the day Haruka-chan became the Jr. circuit champion. I was so proud. And we came so close to doing it again." he added wistfully.  
  
"What happened?" one of the mechanics out of curiosity.  
Yamura paused, but someone else chimed in.  
  
"Tenoh didn't show up for the race." Everyone quieted at that pronouncement.  
Yamura's lips tightened, his gaze swept the room lighting on a pair of teal eyes, which watched the exchange dispassionately from the corner of the garage. Yamura had never known why Haruka hadn't shown up and he had certainly asked. He'd wondered where she was that day, grown frustrated, irritated and then worried. A week later she'd called him and said she was quitting. He'd asked why, but she had never said. He'd worried that some baka had said or worse done something to her to make her quit, but one of his buddies, Kameda, had seen her with an aqua haired girl he now knew to be Michiru-chan. Perhaps Haruka had thought he would not understand her preference he mused.  
  
Nick, never one to hold his tongue glanced at his teammate. " Didn't show up? Why not?"  
  
"I had something more important." The blonde said coolly looking down for a moment.  
  
"More important than the race?" Nick's tone said that he expected an answer and didn't quite believe what he was hearing.  
  
The dark haired mechanic at his side had recovered his sense of humor. Yamura was a worldly man and he'd seen a lot in his 61 years.  
  
"Haruka-chan had discovered girls." his grin was wicked.  
  
The men laughed at that, but it didn't answer the unspoken questions. They looked up to Tenoh. Rarely had they seen a racer more dedicated or talented. That cool confidence and easy manner had inspired them. Tenoh was demanding, but never unfair and when push came to shove they gave their best for him and he never let them down. What could have made this man with such an unequaled passion for the sport throw it all away?  
  
Haruka merely smiled. That had been a hard time for her. She had had every intention of racing that day, but a date with destiny had driven it home that her dreams were gone. She had thought forever. Girls had been the least of her worries. Well... that wasn't completely true. She had been gifted with a beautiful and extremely talented partner, but she hadn't loved her then, hell, she hadn't even been sure she liked the girl who had inadvertently forced her to accept her destiny. It had taken several more months for that flirting attraction to bloom into something stronger.  
  
"Formula One is much more important than the Jr. Circuit though." Wagner observed, lifting his shaggy grey eyebrows.  
  
"Did you burn out?" Nick wanted to know. He looked concerned, probably thinking of his own career.  
  
Haruka shook her head and met his gaze, warning in her eyes.  
  
Garvey, who had arrived shortly after Tenoh, didn't like what he'd been hearing and was considering the drastic and awful complications if the reigning world champion didn't show up for a race. He stuffed his cigar in his mouth and turned to stalk out of the garage when his foot shot out from under him. His feet flailed, but they couldn't regain their purchase on the oil-slicked ground and he went down hard. It was a sound like a sack of potatoes falling to the ground and then the garage went dead silent. Haruka quickly extended a hand and Wagner helped from behind. They rolled to big man to his feet.  
  
"What are you all gawking at?" He bit out gruffly. "As you can see I've got lots of padding. Now get back to work!" He waved his hands.  
  
"We're sorry sir. But it's not time for the tap dancing competition yet." Nick's comment evoked a few chuckles. His cheeky half smile. "We invite you to try again later."  
  
"So you really like Minardi?" Haruka asked him citing one of the lesser teams on the circuit. They hadn't even scored a point yet.  
  
Nick's eyes widened. "Noo Why?"  
  
Yamura picked up where Haruka was going. "Because if Garvey-san hears you say things like that that's who you'll be driving for."  
  
Nick shut up.  
  
After that the racers went their own way. Haruka had a date with the engineers. They talked about the tire choice Haruka had made and how it would affect the set up of the car on race day.  
  
Everytime she took two steps they were telling her about another problem that has come up. She patiently gave her own advice or told them whom to go to fix things. This was a nightmare, by the time she made it back to the garage she was on edge.  
  
Haruka ran a frustrated hand through her hair. They had called a special team meeting that morning. Yamura had explained that because of the Bridgestone - Ferrari alliance that they needed to expect some difficulties. Garvey was no where to be seen. Haruka assumed he was off dealing with the problem. The big Texan was nothing if not protective of his team.  
  
One of the track lackey's showed up and addressed her just as she had climbed out of the car after a quick practice run. She pulled off her helmet and pushed back her sweaty locks.  
  
"Tenoh-san?"  
  
"Hai?" She answered easily.  
  
He gave a half bow. "I am sorry to inform you that they are calling into question your car software. You may not be able to race tomorrow." He added.  
Haruka turned and pinned him with a glare that made him back up a few steps. The pressure she was under would never affect her performance but her temper was on a very short fuse. Every time she turned around something else was being made an issue. She took a deep breath and excused herself. It was a quick jog back to the trailer, she needed some time to herself. Seven minutes later she was in her street clothes and out the door.  
The second she slid behind the wheel of the car - her car, the tightness inside her began to ease. She took off for Tokyo.. she needed to reach that calm center that was for now just out of reach.  
  
Michiru lounged in a summery skirt and sleeveless satiny tank doing one of her favorite things... She was logged in at shopping for cosmetics. This was something Setsuna the queen of the online shoppers had taught her. She heard a car door slam and then a moment later the low rumble from the garage. Haruka's motorcycle.  
  
She sensed her before she saw her. Haruka was leaning with one cocked against the doorframe, her keys in her hand. She was wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a leather jacket. Michiru's heart fluttered at the warm look in Haruka's eyes and she smiled appreciatively at her lover.  
  
"Hey pretty girl, would you like to go for a ride?" Haruka made the offer casually. She gave Michiru a slow inviting smile and the violinist clicked the save button on her shopping cart. She lightly spun the computer chair to face Haruka an easy smile tugging at her lips.  
  
"Sure."  
  
In no time, they were out the door. Haruka had already moved the red and white Yamaha into the driveway. Michiru slid her helmet on and slipped behind Haruka, sidesaddle on the seat. She loved the feel of her lover's strong body in her arms. The aqua haired woman laid her cheek against the leather clad back cherishing the heat radiating from the taller woman. The blond gunned the motor and they were down the driveway and flying through the streets.  
  
Haruka too cataloged the sensations; just having Michiru pressed against her was enough to distract her from her concerns. Let Garvey, Yamura, and Wagner worry about the going's on at the track. Haruka only had one objective to race and to win. She felt Michiru give her a quick affectionate squeeze. It was amazing to her how their relationship had developed to the point that they could have "alone time" in each other's presence. Michiru never drained Haruka's resources; she only recharged them and their time together always-left Haruka feeling calm and happy and it lasted for days.  
  
She had once been distant and alone, but she no longer felt that way. Even when they were apart she carried Michiru with her and the strength of their love sustained her even while out on the road. When she had been younger she had always heard of being able to communicate with just a look and she had dismissed that as romantic ridiculousness, but with Michiru sometimes a sideways glance or a gentle touch could express sentiments that could not be put into words. That were so damn lucky. Unbidden a smile came, playing upon her lips.  
  
Haruka drove through the streets until she felt the need to stop. Her stomach reminded her that it was time for food. She knew Michiru must be hungry but her lover hadn't made any indication that they should stop. A nice meal at the arcade might be in order - for old time's sake. She headed toward the arcade, arching low and soaring through a yellow light. She parked the bike and dismounted, offering a steadying hand to her mate as the violinist slid off the seat.  
  
They walked to the crown, Haruka just a protective heartbeat behind her aqua haired girlfriend. They walked to the Crown and took a seat. The blonde racer slid into the booth across from Michiru and they ordered their sodas.  
  
"Tomorrow will be a big day." Michiru's blue eyes sparkled.  
  
Haruka shrugged lightly. "Eh. Just another race." She settled herself back in the seat.  
  
"I didn't mean for you." The lovely young artist dropped her gaze coyly and played with her straw, but a smile lingered.  
  
Haruka's teal eyes went wide. Had she forgotten something? For a moment words failed her then her mind registered the teasing tone. "Nani?"  
  
"Yesterday I was asked to play at the opening ceremonies. It's short notice, but..."  
  
"Honto? That's great." Haruka face was earnest. She liked to see Michiru's talent recognized. Just not by certain young pop star idols.  
  
"You don't mind?" Michiru's lips pursed with worry.  
  
Haruka reached out and lay her hand on Michiru's arm. "Of course not... you'll have something to do... and you won't be bored." The blonde's face was a mask of innocence except for the joking light in her verdant eyes.  
  
Michiru giggled. And lay her other hand over Haruka's "Life with you has never been boring, Haruka."  
  
"Excuse me?" Startled the senshi turned as one to face a young dark haired boy who was staring at them curiously. His expression shifting between nervousness and awe.  
  
"Are you Tenoh Haruka?" the boy asked steadily his voice shaking just a little. Behind the child stood a group of boys all looking hopeful.  
The blonde gave an inward sigh. For a moment she considered lying. A quick flash of her tight T'shirt clad breasts would settle the question, but Haruka was feeling pretty mellow in Michiru's presence. She just hoped her lover didn't mind the interruption.  
  
"Hai." The words had no sooner left her mouth than the crowd of boys was clustered around them shouting excited questions at their idol.  
An hour and thirty odd autographs later they left the arcade.  
  
"I can't take you anywhere." Michiru lamented as they returned the motorcycle.  
  
Haruka allowed herself a wry grin. "Gomen."  
  
"Don't be." Her lover whispered. "It's been your dream." She slid back into place behind the blonde.  
  
After stopping to refuel, they were back at the house in less than 15 minutes and Haruka visited with her daughter, Chibi Usa and Setsuna. When it was time for her to return to the track Michiru followed her out of the house. Haruka had given her the keys to the car she had driven hone in favor of the more tactile feel of driving her motorcycle. She slid onto the seat and regarded her mate. She pulled Michiru to her for a quick kiss. It was warm and sweet and unbeknownst to the lovers two pairs of mischievous eyes watched them from the window until Setsuna shooed them back into the living room.  
  
Michiru pulled back, holding Haruka's hands and they rested their heads together.  
  
Haruka started to pull back, but Michiru cupped her cheek.  
  
"Stay." She whispered.  
  
Haruka didn't need a lot of convincing. "Ok. Just let me make some calls."  
The racer put up her bike and followed her lover back inside. They took in the two innocent looking preteens watching TV on the couch and looked to Setsuna who rolled her eyes. The blonde called the heliport and settled the question of fuel, then called the track.  
  
Wagner picked up on the first ring.  
  
"Vinyri garage."  
  
"Hey. It's me." Haruka's husky timbre was well recognized by her team.  
  
"I have good news for you. There will be no more problems." Wagner reported in his gravely tone.  
  
Haruka let out the breath she'd been holding. "I will see you in the morning then."  
  
"You aren't coming back out tonight?" Haruka could just imagine the German's bushy grey eyebrows raising. Hotaru thought they looked like caterpillars.  
There was a scuffle over the phone and Yamura's voice crackled over the line.  
  
"You are not coming back? Where are you?" He demanded.  
  
"I'm home." Haruka sat on the back of the couch, ruffling Hotaru's dark hair with her hand.  
  
Her daughter looked up and pretended to try to bite her papa.  
  
There was silence. Then Yamura spoke again. "You will have to leave early to not get caught in traffic, Haruka-chan."  
  
"Michiru and I are going to fly in around seven in the helicopter." The World Champion threw a sidelong glance at the occupants of the couch. "We're bringing Hotaru-chan and her best friend with us." Excited squeals erupted from below her and Haruka had to plant her socked foot on the floor to keep from being dragged over the edge by zealous hugs.  
  
"Hmm. Well if you bring Hotaru-chan all will be forgiven." Yamura had a smile in his voice. He sounded for all the word like a proud grand-papa.  
  
"I will see you in the morning." Haruka said as she stood and stretched.  
  
"Sore Ja."  
  
"Ja ne." The line went dead.  
  
"Minna! It's time for bed!" Haruka clapped her hands together. "If you aren't ready to go by 6:15, I'm leaving you here to ride with Setsuna -mama"  
It was the easiest time she'd ever had getting them to go to bed. They were past the age for tucking in so she made her way to her bedroom and opened the door. Michiru was already curled up on her side of the bed. She watched Haruka with a sleepy smile. By the time the blonde joined her partner under the covers the violinist was fast asleep. Haruka lay there for a moment replaying every curve of the track in her mind. She knew it like the back of her hand. Satisfied and soothed by the familiar scents and sounds of home she succumbed to sleep.  
  
Haruka awoke at 5 am on Sunday feeling refreshed. She and Michiru got themselves ready and the girls out the door on time. Michiru was still fretting about her lipstick color when Haruka hustled her out of the house.  
  
"Do you like it." She asked the blonde making a cute little moue with her lips.  
  
Haruka barely glanced out of the corner of her eye. "It's nice."  
  
Michiru shot her a glare and re-checked the mirror.  
  
They made it to the heliport and landed at the track at seven on the dot. Hungry, the girls ran into the motor home for some much-needed refreshment under Michiru's watchful eye. Haruka changed into her suit and then took her breakfast with the rest of the team. She saw several bleary-eyed mechanics and technicians hovering around the coffeepot. Yamura playfully tapped her on the head. When he came in to make his morning tea.  
  
"Have you seen Nick-san this morning."  
  
"He's probably still asleep."  
  
"Who thinks we should go give Mr. Miller a proper wake up call?" The constructor was busy filling a glass with ice water and recruiting his "search and awaken" team when Nick opened the door spoiling everyone's fun.  
At the chorus of boos he glanced around quickly. "What did I do?" he wanted to know.  
  
They laughingly filled him in on Yamura's plan while the little mechanic did his best to look put upon and innocent. Wagner came in for coffee.  
  
"It's a good day for racing. Everything is satisfactory." He addressed the room at large. "Today we remind them." He said cryptically.  
  
"Remind them what?" A clueless young electrician queried.  
  
Haruka pulled on her cap as she stood and grinned. "We remind them who's the boss." It surprised her when a cheer went up. Her team had absolute faith in her and they gave her their best effort. She couldn't help but grin. They had come so far and this was just icing on the cake.  
  
She found her pit crew doing their odd little cheer out on the edge of their pit space. It was amusing to watch but she was secretly glad she had never been asked to participate. She and Nick had their own personal teams that worked only on their cars. The two were in constant competition, but Yamura made sure it stayed friendly. Casey the head of her crew motioned her over and they discussed the coming race. They had segued into small talk when Haruka's arm was grabbed by one of Garvey's assistants and he whispered in her ear that she was expected at the merchant stalls in 5 minutes.  
Haruka made it there in three and had a great time signing autographs and talking to her fans. Suddenly in the crowd she saw someone she recognized.  
  
"Selina?" She called out the woman who had done the logo design on the cars. She had also put together the design for Haruka's personal helmet.  
Selina was from the east and had done a magnificent job creating the Vinyri logo. She was brilliant artist, whose work was much in demand; but then again Garvey and Yamura would have chosen none other. The woman started when Haruka called her name and then looked this way and that as if she were trying to escape.  
  
'Ah yes...shy.' Haruka recalled. Like Ami-chan almost. Every time the blonde had reviewed her helmet or offered a compliment the young woman had blushed. Haruka extended her hand and grabbed Selina and introduced her to the crowed. There was applause and then Haruka took the artist's program and signed it with a personal note.  
  
'She seems so sweet. Maybe I should introduce her to Michiru.' Haruka thought handing back the young woman's program and Vinyri company pen. Maybe her aqua haired lover could bring the girl out of her shell. These thoughts were interrupted by several more fans as they vied for a chance to speak to their idol.  
  
The pre race show was nothing short of incredible. Michiru played a soaring tune that soothed Haruka's soul and excited her at the same time. She could hear the power laced through the melody as her mate called out to her through the song. The blonde even enjoyed the driver's parade as she was driven around the track in a convertible and waved at the roaring masses. It was usually a boring bit of ceremony she could have done without, but today was different. She felt good and even signed a few autographs for the track marshals.  
  
The driver's briefing ran a little long as a new kid had a lot of questions. Haruka was able to contribute from her experience. Michael too was forthcoming. Nick and Montoya were forming an odd friendship of sorts and spent most of the time passing notes and chuckling.  
  
"Welcome from sunny Japan, home of the prestigious Suzuka Grand Prix!"  
  
"Tenoh is recovering from an injured wrist from the Italian Grand Prix. No word yet as to whether or not that will affect his race today."  
  
"Well Jim he did have the fastest qualifying time so it hasn't seemed to slow him down much."  
  
"This track, the Suzuka, is home turf for Tenoh."  
  
"Yes it is and he's returning here as the new reigning World Champion!"  
  
Haruka stepped out of the paddock and took a deep breath before stretching. She loved this circuit. Every inch of it was commited to memory. Thoughts of the coming race sent a frission of excitement through her. There was a crowd of reporters at the Ferrari paddock. 'Schumacher must be giving an interview.' She thought.  
  
A reporter turned and he noticed her standing near the track and approached. Another looked to see where his companion had wandered off to. The woman started when she noticed and five minutes later Haruka found herself conducting an impromptu interview with a hoard of reporters. Michael was signing autographs now, but every now and again he glanced over at the media pack and his eyes were flinty.  
  
Haruka herself was swamped with questions faster than she could answer them until Yamura pulled her aside citing sponsor obligations.  
  
"Domo Arrigatou, sensei." She said leaning down to whisper her thanks.  
  
"Haruka-chan quit playing with the press and go get ready for the race." He shot back giving her a soft push toward the paddock.  
  
Haruka ran her practice laps with well-timed precision. She had a good set up on the car, it was handling very smoothly. It was all too soon that the time came for the cars to line up on the starting grid. She slipped into her pole position with ease. Michael had taken second spot due to a late lap that allowed him to use the rubber that had already been laid down by other cars for extra grip.  
  
The opening move was Michael's as he angled across the entire line of cars and cut Haruka off. She slammed on her brakes. She had expected it, but her launch control had been off just enough to lose her that extra second she needed to defend her position.  
  
"Shimatta!"  
  
"Just keep pressure on him. He'll make a mistake if you just lay on the pressure Haruka- chan." Yamura assured her from the pits.  
  
Ten laps later Michael was holding steady and Haruka settled in for a long hard drive. The laps flew by as the afternoon wore on. They were well matched and only time would tell.  
  
"It's a bright sunny day, and what a great exciting race at Suzuka, Japan the last Grand Prix of the season. We still have 5 more laps to go, and we have already seen some battling among the first three positions."  
  
"Yes indeed, it's a very exciting race today. Lots of drama happening at the beginning. We could see some of the cars spin out; some have technical problem and a few had their engines blow out. However, the most exciting part we are seeing through the screen right now."  
  
"I agree, it is the race between these two teams and although the title of world championship of this year has been decided we are seeing a bit of a grudge match here. You can see that most of the crowds are cheering for their hometown boy. The Ferrari fans too are waving their flags to support their racers."  
  
"Yeah, looks like it's going to be wild. However, the hometown boy is still being sandwiched by the two Ferraris, with Shummy in front leading the race and Rubens in third. You know, these three have been battling for almost 6 laps now! Let's go now to the commercial break."  
  
Haruka's gaze flicked to her back mirror and at the Ferrari nosing in on her position. They were coming into a good turn for overtaking but she didn't trust Barrichello behind her. Miracle of miracles Michael was just a second off on his braking and Haruka pulled alongside him. Suddenly in typical Schumacher fashion he began to edge over trying to force her off the track. Haruka held steady but was forced to drop back or go off the shoulder.  
Her eyes narrowed. He was allowed one defensive maneuver to block her and that was it. She was faster and he knew it so now he was resorting to being sneaky. Cold fury bloomed in her chest despite the near suffocating heat. Determination flooded her veins like a welcome dose of ice water. All she needed to do was bide her time...  
  
" Welcome back! It's a great battle between those two front runners, and Michael is indicating that he will not let him pass through easily - if at all. Oh look at that second car -he's just 0.009 sec behind the leader now and looks like he going to try to pass again. Can he make it?"  
  
"I think he can, and he's going for it. But wait. oh no. Michael just won't let him through."  
  
"And look! There goes Rubens! He was trying to steal the second position from this young racer, but he recovers it quickly. What a great job!"  
  
"Indeed an excellent job for a new rookie team, to protect his position so well even while trying to get in front."  
  
"Haha, but I think he's still lacking experience. Just look at how Shummy is defending his position, there's no way the new rookie will get past him today."  
  
"But I think he can. He's been doing a great job and he has won several this season. Not only that he has beaten Michael Schumacher in the championship, with Montoya right behind them!"  
  
"Now that you mention it, I've been very impressed with this new kid. From the beginning of this season it has almost looked like he was born to race in F1!"  
  
"Same thought here. Now we are at the final 3 laps, and now look at who's decided to join the battle. Yes, it's Montoya from the Williams team, and now he is putting some pressure on behind Rubens Barichello."  
  
"They are almost to the straight away now, I think someone is going to try his luck to get in front. Whomever it is they must act fast, because there's a tight turn at the end of the lane. We really don't want to see a crash on the last few laps."  
  
"Yes. now watch Montoya! He's trying to cut Ruben off! He is attacking! Can he make it? Can Rubens defend his position?!"  
  
"We're going to find out now. Woo hoohoo, look at how close they came to crashing into each other at that turn. They almost ran each other off the track. I don't think either one of those teams would too happy with that kind of result."  
  
"Indeed, Montoya was trying to squeeze through that corner, but he didn't make it. However they're very lucky that there wasn't an accident between them. By the way, did you know they are actually very good friends - off the race track of course."  
  
"Haha, those two were just doing their best. Both of them are in good cars, you can just hear how the engines roar. However, this may be a good break for the rookie, because now Rubens has his hands full with Montoya."  
  
"Wow this is one of the most exciting races I have ever seen in my life!! And now they are going into the final lap, this is the moment everyone has been waiting for. Who's going to win on this track today? Michael Shumacher or the new rookie of Japan?"  
  
"Well, Jim, my money is on Michael. Because it's the final lap and Schumacher loves this track, Michael surely will do anything he can to prevent anybody from stealing his lead. And looks like the hometown boy is receiving the message to back off a little. Is he going to give up trying to get around Michael?"  
  
"I think that must be it. Because there are two corners to go before the finish line, both of the corners are extremely tight and very narrow. There really isn't any room for passing. Years ago a few racers have tried to get ahead through these corners, but all of them have ended up spinning out - or worse."  
  
"Indeed, and I think these racers know that too. But wait! The new rookie is trying his luck on the left side. He has not given up! Michael is trying to block from the front, and.. Wow, amazing!! That Japanese racer suddenly cuts to the right and attacks. Now he is side by side with Michael! That act just now was to trick the leader! What a brilliant strategy! Most drivers wouldn't have the guts to try something like that"  
  
"Wow, even I couldn't believe my eyes. Now they are flying through the last corner, still side by side. Careful not to touch each other, and now they're going for the finish line. Both of them are still side by side!! We already know that the Ferrari is fast on the straight line, but can team Vinyri pull out a victory here?"  
  
"The Ferrari and Vinyri pit crews are already at the fence, and the crowds are on their feet, they're all cheering loudly!! Now the moment of truth, just hold your breath, because now they are just a few inches from the finish line. But wait... the Vinyri seems to be looking faster, but Michael is not letting it happen!!!! They are still side by side, and they cross the finish line! I am hyperventilating here, folks! Who won?!"  
  
"Ooh YES, indeed. But who is going to win the race? Who was faster? And we are looking at the monitor now. and it shows between 0.002 seconds between them.the results are just coming in! Wow, amazing! It's the new rookie team! The Vinyri. Tenoh Haruka from Vinyri has won the race! He's done it. He's has taken this race by just 0.002 seconds ahead of Michael Shumacher!"  
  
"Wow, this is truly amazing. You feel like your heart was actually going to stop beating. Wow, just like a heart attack. Haha, I have never seen such an exciting race before in my life. Look at Tenoh, his hands are off the wheel, punching the air. He's so delighted! Oh, just look at the crowds, they all cheering for their hometown winner."  
  
"Ha-ha. Yes, they're going to have a big celebration after this. You know, I still can not believe what has just happened. This race is totally...the most extremely amazing race I have ever seen before. Not in my entire life... The attack...the battling , it was all supreme! And I truly want to congratulate to the winner of the F1 world Championship, Tenoh Haruka from the Vinyri Team!"  
  
"Yes, a very big congratulation to him. A very great performance in F1 this season, he has won 9 out of 17 races!"  
  
"Oh, just look at the crowd. They're jumping and screaming! They're surely very delighted that their hometown boy has taken the victory in this race. Now we can see the constructor of Vinyri team, Mr. Yamura is waiting at the podium for his best driver. Oh look, right beside him was the beautiful violinist who played the song 'At the Beginning' on the stage before the race started. I think she has permission to welcome and congratulate the winner as well. After all they're both Japanese."  
  
"I think that it is. There. The winner just came back from the track after his slow down lap and is pulling his car into the parc ferme. And again the crowds are going wild!"  
  
"Haha, just look at how Tenoh jumps out of his car, doing the victory sign in front of his team member and the crowds. He is surely one very happy man!"  
  
"Here he comes again. They've just finished doing the weight checks on the cars and the drivers. He has such a bounce in his step! He's stopping right in front of the podium."  
  
"Oh look, that violinist is running to Tenoh and hugging him! They are hugging each other, completely ignoring the flashing cameras around them. I think they're going to find themselves on the front page of the news tomorrow. Both of them look so happy, and they. kiss? Wow."  
  
"This just came in that she is the famous violinist, Kaioh Michiru and she is Tenoh Haruka's girlfriend!! I didn't make the connection! But this explains the drama just now. And the crowds are screaming out loud at what's going on. What big news! What a big surprise!"  
  
"Haha, I think they have the blessing of the audience in Japan. Don't you think they make one lovely couple?"  
  
"Indeed, they are. Haha, look at them. They're still kissing and hugging, and they're completely ignoring the Vinyri constructor, Yamura who has been standing beside them for quite some time. Now it seems that he couldn't wait for them to stop, he's just hugging them both!"  
  
"Haha, a very interesting scene to watch, the three of them just hugging each other. They are absolutely delighted. Their team members' are cheering, they'll go and have a very big celebration after this. Now Tenoh is walking back toward the stage now, and just look at his smile. If he wasn't been taken, I think there would be lots of girls dying to have him!"  
  
"Yeah, it's too bad that he is already taken by this lovely young violinist. A very big congratulations to him! Tenoh Haruka the winner of the GP Suzuka, Japan and the F1 World Championship! Can it get any better for this young man?"  
  
As Haruka headed back toward the awards stage she bumped into Miller. Nick gave his blonde teammate a grin and a wink. "Now don't let yourself get all soft during this off time with Michiru. We have our work cut out for us next season." Both of their gazes went to Yamura who was talking excitedly to several older Japanese gentlemen all wearing Vinyri T-shirts. Due to consistent strong finishes by Michael and Rubens, Ferrari had taken the Constructor's Championship.  
  
Haruka and Nick both acknowledged that Yamura had been the true design genius this year, but they would have to wait to prove it for him.  
  
"Well take care, buddy."  
  
The new World Champion hugged Miller and patted him hard on the back. It was only then that she noticed the redhead rapidly snapping pictures from the garage edge. She had no more time to think about that as more people appeared to congratulate her as she made her way to the awards ceremony.  
Haruka took her place on the podium, jubilant and she punched her fists in the air and laughed. The crowd roared its approval. Haruka felt flushed despite the cool autumn air. Suddenly overwhelmed with emotion the blonde suddenly felt her eyes fill with unshed tears.  
  
"Arrigatou " she whispered to the sea of fans.  
Someone important handed her the trophy and Haruka lifted it up and then set it down to await the playing of her national anthem. She'd done it , she was the Formula One World Champion and she'd just won in her home circuit, life rarely got better than this. She'd accomplished her greatest dream. She didn't even mind when the two Ferrari drivers and Yamura ganged up and soaked her with the champagne. She ran her hands through her short golden hair and shook out the excess.  
  
Haruka went over to the edge of the stage and dropped her half-full bottle into the hands of her mechanics to let them share in the toast. Afterall she couldn't have done it without them.  
  
She stepped down in a daze, people were shaking her free hand and snapping pictures. She was suddenly enveloped in a sea of red as her team swept through the crowd and hoisted her on their shoulders She thought she hugged Yamura, she might have hugged Nick too, hell for all she knew she might have hugged Michael Schumacher. Nick later showed her a picture of the awards podium, Michael wasn't smiling. Haruka didn't blame him, she knew that next year he would be an even more formidable opponent.  
  
When Haruka was finally released by her team she was still a bit dazed and confused as she made her way through the paddock of people who touched her and hugged her. Someone thrust a dozen roses in her arms and a woman planted a kiss on her cheek.  
  
Suddenly through the masses Haruka spotted aqua hair, slightly ruffled by the wind . Michiru was standing poised and patient at the edge of the track. They had gotten separated in all the fuss. Haruka smiled and made her way to her mate. Michiru was her anchor and she slid her arm around the smiling woman. The violinist had her long hair pulled up in a ponytail and she was wearing a cape to keep her warm from the cool chill in the air. Together they made their way past the reporters and well wishers and back to the little warm group of friends.  
  
Hotaru tackled Haruka and she hugged her daughter tightly.  
Minako and Usagi did a little cheer for her and Mamoru shook her hand in congratulations. Haruka was on cloud nine. Life couldn't get any better than this. She had done it!  
  
A month later Haruka took Michiru out for a leisurely drive. Like the ones that had taken long ago when they had first started falling in love. Haruka parked at the seashore in their favorite spot and they got out and leaned close together watching the waves crash against the rocks of the nearby lighthouse. Michiru leaned her head against Haruka's shoulder and they enjoyed the close contact.  
  
"I'm just glad you're home for the next month." Michiru said quietly. They lapsed into an easy silence.  
  
"Michiru." Haruka glanced at her mate out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"Hai, Haruka?" Came the gentle reply.  
  
"It was worth it." Haruka was beaming now, radiating a joyous light.  
  
"Ara?" this was a smile Michiru had never seen before, full of great personal satisfaction.  
  
"Hai. For a moment. for a moment" Haruka closed her eyes as if treasuring an elusive sensation. "I was the wind."  
  
If I just get the checkered flag once... At that time I will become the wind. - Tenoh Haruka Image Poem  
  
At that time I will become the wind. I will become a wind prettier than anyone. I will become a wind stronger than anything. With my hands on the wheel, stepping on the gas... My chest throbs... The ultra-high-speed world. That is the one space that's just mine. For me to be me... I cut through the haze of heat. Sweat slowly pours down. Exposed to the light, the world is fully exposed. That is the one space that's just mine. For me to not be me...  
  
Author's Chatter:  
This is a really sad story. I had to repost this thing because it marked it complete before I uploaded 6, so I lost all of my reviews. So please read and review...please  
  
If you ever want to archive any of my work...just take it. As long as my email addy is on it so I can get feedback, it's all good. I say this because I went through my old emails and saw a few requests. I can't remember if I replied or not. If I didn't, I fully intended to. If you write me I will write back unless I get tangled up somehow. If you have ever written me and I didn't write you back it was an oversight. Gomen nasai  
  
Well. I really hope you like it. I worked hard on it. I wasn't happy with it before, but now I am. I revised the whole thing. Chapter 5 saw some major rewrites.  
My immouto...Selina... has made some gorgeous reditions of Haruka in her firesuit, her car and other things. We will be putting them up on my website tomorrow. My site is still under construction but feel free to come in and look around. The "Other" section is interesting as well as F1 Haruka . Soon under fanart I will be posting this thing I did. Basically I took elements of my honeymoon fics and made a Honeymoon scrapbook. It turned out really neat so I will be putting up the finished pages.  
  
OK very important shoutouts:  
To the people who put up with my for two years while I tried to finish this fic:  
  
First and foremost is my editor Kate-san, who actually came to visit me two weeks ago and listened to me chatter incessantly about F-1 for three days:-D She was also the person who found the key to my plot dilemmas in the local bookstore. Let us all revere the Kate-san You have no idea how much I would get written if she would visit me and sit in the room while I type. I love you very much and would still not be finished if it weren't for you.  
  
Secondly, Selina, who has provided me with more gorgeous F-1 eye candy that I deserve. It is such a wonderful feeling to see your vision fleshed out in a picture. I can't draw to save my life and the pics of Haruka's car and Haruka in her firesuit send thrills through me. Thank you so much immouto-chan ;; HUGS  
Selina wrote the framework to the awesome race scene at the end! I only tweaked and edited it. She did an excellent job and I am so proud of her GO IMMOUTO!  
  
To Suiren who read over my text when I got stuck and made some great suggestions!  
That really helped me get going again. Thank you, immouto  
  
This is to the people who inspired me to start writing again:  
Lady Grizabella with her hilarious outer senshi stories and Washu with some really lovely H&M pictures I had lost my inspiration. Thanks guys v  
  
To one-san, sabi-san, for reading, laughing and pointing things out that I had missed Thank you! I love you!  
  
To Angie, T, and Kaman! You guys are so great!. I love you so much. To Angie for hunting down detailing for me while I work. To T for being such a great friend and sounding board Kaman! You are just one of the sweetest people I have ever met)  
HUGS  
  
To stickyrice...I can't wait to see the next chapter of Devil's Advocate up!  
You're great!  
  
To Spork for irritating the absolute hell out of me the morning before this is published. temper I have to work today!!!! (Two stubborn romantics try to collaborate on a fanfic) 


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